HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Two first-year programs collide on Tuesday at the LMU Lacrosse Complex as the Lady Railsplitters (0-7, 0-6 SAC) welcome Mid-South Conference (NAIA) member University of Pikeville (1-2) to Harrogate for a 3 p.m. nonconference battle.
 
After dropping their official home debut last Wednesday to Tusculum, Lincoln Memorial suffered a 20-1 setback to the No. 14 nationally ranked Queens Royals on Saturday in Harrogate. The Royals raced out to a 10-goal lead just 13 minutes into the match and carried a 15-0 advantage into the break. Autumn Beddington (Newburgh, Ind.) put the Lady Railsplitters on the board at the 26:16 mark of the second half, but Queens ended on a 5-0 run before the match was cut 10 minutes short due to field conditions that were deemed unplayable.
 
Thus far, Beddington and Bre'Asia James (Vero Beach, Fla.) have provided nearly every bit of the Lady Railsplitters' offensive output, as that duo has combined for 17 of the team's 18 goals, 41 of the 54 shots and 45 of the 54 draw controls. James currently leads the team with 12 goals on 31 shots (20 shots on goal) and one assist, while Beddington has contributed five goals on 10 shot attempts. Stacey Dotson (Huntsville, Ala.) is responsible for the Lady Railsplitters' only other goal, as she scored in a loss to Lawrence Tech on March 9.
 
Like Lincoln Memorial, the Pikeville Bears are in the midst of their first ever season of women's lacrosse. Pikeville's first five matches were either canceled or postponed, delaying the start of their season until March 10, when the Bears suffered a 14-4 loss to Point (Ga.). One day later, Pikeville picked up the program's first win with a 17-0 evisceration of Valdosta State. Most recently, though, the Bears dropped a 20-1 decision at Tennessee Wesleyan.
 
In that loss to Tennessee Wesleyan, the Bears were outshot 43-2 while finishing at a 15-5 disadvantage in terms of ground balls. Pikeville keeper Rebecca Abbott was a bright spot, though, contributing 16 saves in 60 minutes of action.
 
Looking back to the win over Valdosta State, the Bears were led by Taylor Bussell, who contributed five goals, two assists and eight ground ball recoveries. Lacey Turner chipped in four goals and three assists, while Sabrina Elliott collected three goals and led all players with nine ground balls.
 
While the Lady Railsplitters will continue to rely on James and Beddington to produce offensively, the brunt of the defense load will be placed on the broad shoulders of goalkeeper Shannon Novak (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.). The freshman backstop has compiled a SAC-leading 93 saves up to this point, propped up by a SAC single-game record 22 saves in last week's match against Tusculum. In seven games, Novak has collected double-digit saves six times while facing a total of 284 shots.
 
First draw control between the Lady Railsplitters and Pikeville Bears is set for 3 p.m. at the LMU Lacrosse Complex. Live stats will be available via www.LMURailsplitters.com.