HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Lady Railsplitters (3-2, 1-1 SAC) aim for their third-consecutive win as they travel to Mars Hill, N.C. on Wednesday for a South Atlantic Conference match-up against the Mars Hill Lions (0-6, 0-2 SAC) with first kick scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Belk Field.
Following a 5-1 rout of Georgetown College last Wednesday, the Lady Railsplitters knocked off the Newberry Wolves 1-0 at the Smith Road Complex in Newberry, S.C. to claim their first conference victory. Sophomore
Michelle Hunter (Tecumseh, Ontario) supplied the damage against Newberry, corralling a pass in the 26th minute from teammate
Kadie Soall (Tecumseh, Ontario) that she powered past Newberry keeper Alexis Carrillo.
A Tecumseh, Ontario native, Hunter erupted last week by scoring in back-to back contests, netting two goals against Georgetown along with her game-winning strike at Newberry. Hunter's three-goal outburst gives her four for the season, ranking fourth in the SAC, and 12 for her career.
Alongside Hunter, senior
Fernanda Miaci (Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil) leads the Lady Railsplitters offensively with 15 shots and seven shots on goal. Junior
Maddy Nagy (Rockledge, Fla.) has contributed 10 shots and five shots on target, while
Olivia Thompson (Melbourne, Fla.) and
Nicole McKinney (Ooltewah, Tenn.) have attempted nine and eight shots, respectively.
After yielding two goals to West Florida in the season opener, junior goalkeeper
Kayla Stephens (Keller, Texas) has not allowed a goal in her past four appearances in net. Following Saturday's shutout effort in which the junior recorded five saves on 19 shots, the Keller, Texas native ranks third in the SAC in goals against (2) and fourth in goals against average (0.71).
Mars Hill welcomes the Lady Railsplitters to Belk Field still looking for its first win with conference losses to both Newberry and Tusculum on the ledger. The Lions have been shutout in three of their six matches this season and opponents have mustered a 12-3 scoring disparity.
Rachel Weber, Breona Tate and Catherine Watkins-Ba have accounted for the entirety of the Lions' offensive production with a single goal apiece. Weber and Tate lead the team with nine and eight shots, respectively, while Tate has contributed a team-leading six shots on goal. Mars Hill currently ranks last in the SAC in goals scored, shot percentage and shots on goal. The Lions' 50 total shots is the second lowest number among league opponents.
The Lady Railsplitters are likely to see Tori Stajduhar in net for the Lions, as the junior goalkeeper has allowed nine goals with 37 saves in four starts this season. Stajduhar's 37 stops trails only Coker's Liz Morris, who has accumulated 55 saves, for the SAC lead.
Lincoln Memorial is vying for its fourth-consecutive win over the Lions as the Lady Railsplitters hold a 12-2 advantage in the all-time series. The Lady Railsplitters have won six straight on the campus of Mars Hill, a streak that originates with a 3-0 win back in 1998.
The Lady Railsplitters and Lions are scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Belk Field. Mars Hill will be providing both live stats and a video broadcast.
Live Stats Video
