HARROGATE, Tenn. – Coming off of a record-breaking performance, the Lady Railsplitters (1-0) welcome the red-hot Young Harris Mountain Lions (3-0) for the home opener of the 2016 women's lacrosse season on Wednesday, with first draw control set for 4 p.m. at the Rocky Top Sports World in Gatlinburg, Tenn.
 
Lincoln Memorial picked up the program's first road victory and kicked off the 2016 campaign in fine fashion last Friday by pounding the Montreat Cavaliers 19-2 in Montreat, N.C. The Lady Railsplitters broke the program's single-game record for goals before eight minutes had even elapsed in the match by taking a 9-0 lead at the 22:58 mark and eventually carried a 14-1 cushion into the half. LMU dominated nearly every phase of the match, winning 20 of the 21 draw controls, outshooting the Cavaliers 27-9 and scooping up 22 ground balls.
 
Amara Moss (Woodbridge, Va.) led the way with four goals and an assist, while Jasmin Click (Clermont, Fla.), Bre'Asia James (Vero Beach, Fla.) and Abby Hoskins (Louisville, Ky.) contributed three goals and an assist apiece. Casey Kelly (Ellenwood, Ga.) produced a goal and program-record three assists.
 
"I think it was a big confidence boost for the team," LMU women's lacrosse coach Caitlyn Corace said. "We didn't know what to expect from Montreat and we jumped on them early like we wanted to. The girls got what they needed out of their system after a long preseason."
 
Now the Lady Railsplitters shift their attention to a Young Harris squad that is off to a dominant 3-0 start in 2016 that includes a 21-3 beatdown of Erskine, a 21-0 stomping of Reinhardt and most recently a 19-4 win over Lees-McRae.
 
Through three matches, the Mountain Lions are outscoring their opponents by a combined total of 61-7 with a 20.33 goals per game average. Young Harris is averaging 40 shots per game with 23 shots on goal per game, while opponents have averaged just 8.3 shots per game against the stingy Mountain Lion defense.
 
"They have a lot of offensive firepower," Corace said. "I think we do play similar to them defensively and with riding and clearing the ball, but they really go to goal. Whether it's off of an assist or a fast break, they are always looking to shoot and we have to be prepared for that and stick with them on defense."
 
Sophomore midfielder Kendra Parenteau leads the Mountain Lions in scoring with 16 points on nine goals and seven assists. Sophomore attacker Nicole Kernohan is the player to watch for Young Harris, though, as she has 10 goals and an assist on a team-leading 29 shots and 14 shots on goal.
 
"They are always looking for Kernohan especially on the fast break and even on the slow break," Corace said. "Once they get down to offense, they look for her on a first cut. She's tall and shoots hard and we have to stay in front of her."
 
Maddie Peek (9 goals, 2 assists) and Sarah Bialecki (4 goals, 6 assists) also have at least 10 points for the Mountain Lions this season, while Erika Cross (8 goals, 1 assist) is approaching that number. Meghan Tonnesen leads Young Harris in draw controls with 21, while Parenteau and Kernohan are tied for the team lead in ground balls with nine apiece.
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Julia Darroch is directing the Young Harris defense, as she has accounted for a 2.73 goals against average, 10 saves and a .667 save percentage over three starts and 110 minutes this season.
 
This will be the second all-time meeting between the Lady Railsplitters and Mountain Lions, as Young Harris defeated Lincoln Memorial 20-1 in the 2015 season finale in Young Harris, Ga. The Mountain Lions raced out to a 14-0 lead before LMU got on the board at the 20:35 mark of the second half on a free-position goal by Autumn Beddington (Newburgh, Ind.).
 
Young Harris finished the 2015 season with an 11-5 record.
 
"Last week's game was a confidence boost, but this will be a more realistic example of what a lot of our games are going to be like this season," Corace said. "If we go out, play hard and execute our game plan, it should be a competitive game."
 
Game time is set for 4 p.m. in Harrogate. Live stats will be available at www.LMURailsplitters.com. Admission to all home lacrosse matches is completely free of charge.