HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Coming off of the first win in program history last weekend, the Lincoln Memorial University men's lacrosse team (1-1) travels to Gatlinburg, Tenn. on Monday to host the Alma Scots (0-0) in a nonconference tilt at the Rocky Top Sports World. The game was originally slated to be held in Harrogate, but snow, ice and rain deemed conditions at the LMU Lacrosse Complex unplayable.   
 
Monday's showdown against Alma will be the first game for the Railsplitters since they knocked off the Lees-McRae Bobcats 15-6 last Saturday to earn the first men's lacrosse victory in the school's more than 100-year history of intercollegiate athletics. In the LMU Lacrosse Complex opener, the Railsplitters controlled the pace from start to finish, outshooting the Bobcats 46-16, winning 15 of the 22 face-offs and picking up 32 ground balls. The home team dominated the first half, building a 7-2 lead after 30 minutes of action. Lees-McRae trimmed the deficit to 11-6 with 12 minutes left in the final period, but Lincoln Memorial closed the game by scoring four unanswered goals.
 
"It was great to get the first win out of the way," said head coach Ryan Kuhn. "A lot of our focus over the last year and a half was towards getting that first win. And now that we got that out of the way early, it validates that fact that we're here and we can compete with teams. I think a lot of teams that had put us as an easy win on the schedule are going to think otherwise now."
 
Freshman midfielder Josh Hernandez (Middletown, N.Y.) was spectacular once again in controlling possession for the Railsplitters, winning 15 of his 20 face-off attempts. Hernandez also led all players with 11 ground balls. In the season opener against Emmanuel, the Middletown, N.Y. native went 17-for-23 on face-offs and scooped up 11 ground balls.
 
"He's had a great start to the season and he's one of those kids that has gotten better since he stepped foot on campus." Kuhn said. "I think he plays with a tremendous chip on his shoulder, just like the rest of the program. He's somebody that's going to challenge a lot of the better face-off men in the country."
 
Jared Courchene (Sagkeeng, Manitoba) scored the first two goals at the LMU Lacrosse Complex, but it was freshman attacker Tylor Justin (Buffalo, N.Y.) that led the way offensively, matching a game-high mark with four goals on 10 shots and six shots on goal. Justin also added an assist to his stat ledger. After that win over Lees-McRae, Justin is tied with Dylan Neisler (Detroit, Mich.) for the team-lead with six points. 
 
"Obviously, Tylor blew up and had a great day statistically," continued Kuhn. "A lot of that is just from what he's done and the effort he's put in on the practice field. He had a great week of practice leading up to it and, from a confidence standpoint, he's got a lot going for him moving forward."
 
The Railsplitters will look to build off of that momentum as the attention shifts to an Alma program that has high expectations entering the 2015 campaign. The Scots - a member of the NCAA Division III from Alma, Mich. - finished the 2014 season with a program-best six wins. First-year head coach Michael Kinney's squad returns 15 lettermen, both goalkeepers and 13 players that were responsible for netting 104 of the team's 114 goals last season.
 
"They're a program that has a lot of good energy coming in," Kuhn said of Alma. "They're very athletic, they get up and down the field, and they're big, strong Midwestern kids. They're going to be an imposing force on both sides of the ball. It's going to be a fun game and I think both programs are really looking forward to it."
 
Kyle Schnitzer, TJ Miller, Marshall Argenta and Alex Novak represent four of Alma's top five scorers from a season ago. Schnitzer posted 27 goals and 16 assists, while Argenta compiled 21 goals and eight assists. Miller and Novak added 18 and 15 goals apiece respectively.
 
The Scots also return both goalkeepers from last season in Al Lesperance and Daric Mueller. Alma features a trio of junior defenders in Justin Saxman, Sam Korbel and Jason Traub that helped the Scots lead the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association in caused turnovers last season with 188. Korbel paced Alma with 62 ground balls and 46 caused turnovers.
 
The first face-off between LMU and Alma is set for 5 p.m. in Gatlinburg, Tenn. at the Rocky Top Sports World.