GREENEVILLE, Tenn. -- Taking advantage of the opportunities that present themselves will be the top priority for the Lady Railsplitters (2-1-2, 1-0-1 SAC) when they travel to Greeneville, Tenn. on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. South Atlantic Conference women's soccer battle against the Tusculum Pioneers (3-4, 0-2 SAC).
 
Lincoln Memorial was held without a goal for the third time in five matches in Saturday's 0-0 double overtime draw with Queens, but it wasn't for a lack of scoring chances as the Lady Railsplitters registered a season-high 27 shots and 10 shots on goal. That was the most shot attempts in a scoreless performance for the program since they launched 29 shots in a 0-0 tie against Catawba in the semifinals of the 2007 SAC tournament.
 
Even when factoring in their four-goal outburst against West Alabama in the season opener, the Lady Railsplitters are ranked ninth in the SAC and 172nd in the country in scoring offense with a 1.00 goals for average. Since the 4-3 win over the Tigers, Lincoln Memorial has gone scoreless against Montevallo, Lee and Queens while registering a single goal against Brevard.
 
Aside from the Lee match, when the Lady Railsplitters finished with a season-low six shots and three shots on goal, Lincoln Memorial has created a high volume of scoring opportunities. The Lady Railsplitters are averaging 21.5 shots per match in SAC play and 16.0 shots per match overall, ranking fourth in the league in that category. They have also produced 27 corner kicks on the season, which ranks second in the SAC.
 
Thankfully, Lincoln Memorial's defense has held up the fort and kept the Lady Railsplitters out of the loss column in SAC play while the offense tries to get acclimated to a plethora of new pieces. The Lady Railsplitters are one of two teams that have yet to allow a goal in a SAC match, as goalkeeper Kathryn Lundy (Pinckney, Mich.) notched her second consecutive shutout and third overall in the win over Queens. She made a career-high seven saves in that match, pushing her season total to 20. She is currently third in the SAC with a 0.65 goals against average.
 
The offense will hinge largely on Michelle Hunter (Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada), who yet to get going this season. Hunter hasn't scored since she tallied the first goal of the Lady Railsplitters' season in the 19th minute of the season-opening win over West Alabama on September 4. Hunter - six goals and two assists in 2014 - leads Lincoln Memorial with 17 shots.
 
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Greeneville, Tenn. Live stats will be available via www.LMURailsplitters.com while live Twitter updates can be followed at the official LMU athletics page (@LMURailsplitter). Fans can interact and join the conversation using the hashtag #LMUWSOC.
 
Know the Opponent
 
Tusculum - 7 p.m. Live Stats 
 
It's been a rollercoaster start to the Pioneers' 2015 season as they opened with losses to West Florida and Tampa before winning three straight matches over King, Union, and Ohio Dominican, outscoring those three opponents by a combined 12-1 margin. Tusculum has been roughed up early in South Atlantic Conference play, though, dropping a 1-0 decision at Queens and falling 6-1 at Lenoir-Rhyne.
 
There's been a stark contrast between Tusculum's offensive production in wins and losses. In their three wins, the Pioneers have averaged four goals and 19 shots, while those per-match numbers dip to 0.8 goals and 8.8 shots in their four losses.
 
Tusculum is ranked third in the South Atlantic Conference in goals scored with 15 while leading the conference in corner kicks produced (31) when taking the overall statistics into account. When SAC matches alone are considered, though, the Pioneers are 11th in goals (1), 11th in shots on goal (8), ninth in shots per match (11.0) and ninth in corners (9).
 
The Pioneers are ranked ninth in the conference in goals against average with a 1.86 mark. Opponents have created 49 shots on goal to Tusculum's 39.
 
Senior striker Taylor Lewis leads the Pioneer attack with four goals, one assist, 22 shots and eight shots on goal. Payton DeHart, Katja Andersson, Emma Macdonald and Carlie Thornber have contributed two goals apiece, while Carly Mill has a goal and three assists.
 
Goalkeeper Miriah Martin has played a league-leading 630 minutes for the Pioneers, accumulating a 1.86 goals against average while allowing 13 goals with 36 saves, the fourth-highest mark in the SAC. Martin has two shutouts to her credit.
 
The Lady Railsplitters defeated the Pioneers 2-1 last season behind Nicole McKinney's two-goal performance, but that was just the fourth win for LMU in the 19 matches against Tusculum since 2000. The Pioneers own a 13-10-2 advantage in the all-time series and have won the past two meetings in Greeneville.