Demorest, GA – Piedmont College Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach Emily Jacquette has revealed the 2015 schedule for her Lady Lions who will look to defend their 2014 USA South Regular Season Title. Piedmont has not lost a contest in USA South regular season play since March of 2013 having gone 8-0 in league play during 2014.
Fans of the Green and Gold won’t have to wait long to see the 2015 version of Piedmont women’s lacrosse as the girls from Demorest open the season with five straight home games coming in just about a week’s timespan. The year kicks off with a team new to the schedule as Hendrix College, a member of the Southern Athletic Association, comes to Walker Athletic Complex on Friday, February 20.
The Warrirors are a second-year program having made their debut in 2014 with a 4-10 record and one of two SAA foes in the first three games for PC in 2015 as Piedmont plays host to the Stormy Petrels of Oglethorpe University on February 24. On February 22, PC will host another team new to the slate with Rhodes coming to Walker Athletic Complex for the first time.
Rhodes is another second-year program but fared far better than the Warriors of Hendrix in its debut going 8-4 and posting a 3-4 record against teams shared as common opponents with Piedmont in 2014. The Lynx are coached by Brice Queener who was drafted into Major League Lacrosse by the Rochester Rattlers playing two seasons before moving over to the Hamilton Nationals, a team he helped to the MLL finals in 2011.
As one of the teams traveling the furthest to Demorest in 2015, Alma College out of Michigan brings a 13-6 record from last season and a conference runner-up finish with them to Walker Athletic Complex in what’s sure to be the most anticipated matchup of the five-game game homestand to open the year.
With its contest at Piedmont scheduled for February 26, Alma returns its top three scorers from last season including All-Conference performer and top scorer Tracy Gallihugh who came up just one shy of 90 goals in 2014.
The 5-game homestand is wrapped up with a visit from first-year program in Hanover College, another program from the Midwest traveling nearly 500 miles to play on the turf at Walker. With the contest set for February 28, Hanover comes in under the direction of first-year Head Coach C.J. Durham who recently wrapped up her graduate assistantship at Stevenson University in Maryland.
On March 2, the Lady Lions will finally hit the road traveling to face the Panthers of Birmingham-Southern College for the first time in program history.
Coach Jacquette shares ties with the Alabama-based institution having started the program in 2009 spending two seasons at the helm earning an 18-9 overall record at the helm. PC will face the Panthers at night under the lights in Birmingham with the opening draw set for 6:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Central.
PC stays on the road for its next three contests opening conference play with a challenging Thursday-Saturday trip to Greensboro College and Ferrum College. Both teams finished in the USA South top four last season and figure to be mainstays amongst the league’s best again in 2015.
After one more road challenge in conference play against Methodist on March 14, Piedmont returns home for its first USA South battle in 2015 at Walker Athletic Complex playing host to Meredith College in a rematch for the ages after last year’s conference championship game. The two had to go to overtime to decide a winner before the Avenging Angels would come out on top though it was PC who earned the league’s regular season crown with an 8-0 mark.
Opening draw against Meredith on March 21 is set for noon in Demorest.
Four days later, Piedmont travels south to face LaGrange College in USA South action, a team that the Lady Lions defeated 23-1 in 2014. Highlights of the contest can be seen on Piedmont’s YouTube channel and fans will again be able to watch the Lady Lions’ home contests live on the Mane Event Broadcasting Network as well.
On March 27, Piedmont hosts Huntingdon College, the team against which the Lady Lions capped off a perfect USA South regular season record against with a 19-6 win on the road. The game will be Piedmont’s final USA South contest of 2015 as well, but will not be the final regular season game for PC who has trips remaining on the docket to Berry (March 31) and Sewanee (April 8) as well as a home game against Centre College on April 3.
Centre won last year’s Southern Athletic Association regular season crown with a perfect 7-0 mark, but it was Sewanee who upended the Colonels in the SAA Championship Game with an 11-8 decision that handed the Tigers the tourney title. Both teams will provide stout tests for Piedmont in its final three games of 2015 as the Lady Lions will then prepare for the USA South Championship Tournament set to take place April 17-18 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
For the complete 2015 Piedmont College women’s lacrosse schedule, click here.
