HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Sophomore midfielder Adam Golia (Victoria, British Columbia) scored a career-high and single-game program record six goals to lead the Railsplitters (1-0) to a 12-4 win over the Emmanuel Lions (0-1) in Lincoln Memorial's 2016 men's lacrosse season opener on Saturday afternoon in Harrogate, Tenn.
 
Thanks to a stellar performance in the face-off circle and in clearance, the Railsplitters exploded in the second half after falling behind 3-1 midway through the first period to return the favor for Emmanuel's 10-7 win in last season's lidlifter in Franklin Springs, Ga.
 
"We told the guys after the first quarter and at halftime that once it popped it was going to open up," LMU head men's lacrosse coach Ryan Kuhn said. "I'm really happy that our guys were able to respond to some really good goalie play from the Emmanuel keeper and battle through that. We changed some things up from an offensive standpoint at halftime and it really worked well for us. Once we got into a rhythm in face-offs it opened a world of things for us."
 
The game was scoreless through the first 14 minutes of action, but Lincoln Memorial let its guard down as time dwindled away in the first quarter, surrendering a goal to Craig Marentette at the 35-second mark before turning it over and allowing Tyler Machado to score with 1.1 seconds left in the frame.
 
The Railsplitters checked into the scoring column 43 seconds into the second quarter when Billy Kopsky (Smithtown, N.Y.) found Golia, who finished off the first of his six goals on the afternoon. However, the Lions responded and grabbed a 3-1 lead at the 9:47 mark on a score by Justin Mills.
 
The momentum would swing violently in Lincoln Memorial's favor from that point on, though. Reggie Golfin (Detroit, Mich.) pulled the Railsplitters within one on the first goal of his collegiate career at the 7:17 mark. That would be the extent of the Railsplitters' second-quarter offense until Golia scored off of Kyle Arcuri's (Patchogue, N.Y.) quick pass from behind the goal as time expired in the half, which sent the two teams into the break knotted at three goals apiece.
 
The Railsplitters didn't score for the first eight minutes of the third quarter, but the floodgates opened up as that quarter drew to a close.
 
Golia gave Lincoln Memorial the lead for good at the 6:19 mark, while Kopsky sent the Railsplitters into the fourth quarter with a 5-3 advantage after scoring with 39 seconds left on the clock. Both of those goals were assisted by preseason All-SAC midfielder Justin Stewart (Copiague, N.Y.).
 
The Railsplitters then tallied six goals in the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter to complete a stretch of 10 unanswered goals, which made it an 11-3 game. Five different players scored over that stretch for LMU, with Dylan Neisler (Detroit, Mich.), Stewart and Arcuri notching their first goals of the season.
 
The Lions got one back at the 3:05 mark and halted LMU's 10-0 spurt on Marentette's second goal of the day, but Golia completed his six-goal outburst by scoring with 36 seconds left. He was assisted by Kairos Bodley (Orlando, Fla.), who posted just the second point of his career.
 
Golia ended the match with a program-record six goals, which surpassed Neisler's five-goal performance last season against Wingate. The sophomore added three ground balls and three caused turnovers.
 
"Adam had a slow first quarter, but he kept doing what he does," Kuhn said. "Once we changed where we were attacking on the field it opened up a lot of things for him. He's such a shifty player and he was able to get open in some spots. That goal at the end of the first half was one of the best goals that I've ever seen and one of the more exciting plays I've seen. That was a turning point for us."
 
Kopsky contributed two goals and two assists, while Arcuri produced a goal and two assists in his collegiate debut. Stewart also chipped in a goal and two assists.
 
The Railsplitters went 15-for-18 in the face-off circle, an effort mostly fueled by preseason All-SAC pick Josh Hernandez (Middletown, N.Y.), who went 14-for-16 on those opportunities while adding a game-high six ground ball recoveries. Additionally, Lincoln Memorial went a perfect 16-for-16 on clears while holding Emmanuel to a 15-for-28 mark in that department.
 
"We ride and clear every day in practice. Clearing is such a big part of what we do," Kuhn said. "We put such an emphasis on it because that can be the difference between winning and losing games. If you're clearing the ball well that means you're getting more quality possessions. I was really pleased with how we cleared the ball and also with how we rode the clear. It was good communication on both sides of the ball."
 
The Railsplitters outshot the Lions 47-23 with a 27-16 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Junior goalkeeper Joe Medel (Virginia Beach, Va.) picked up the win after making 12 saves in 60 minutes of work. His counterpart, Alan Troutman, suffered the loss after making 15 stops and serving up 12 goals over that same span.
 
The Railsplitters return to action on Saturday, February 13 when they host Mercy at 1 p.m.