HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The Lady Railsplitters (1-2) open South Atlantic Conference play on Saturday afternoon when they welcome the Newberry Wolves (1-1) to Harrogate for an NCAA Division II women's lacrosse match beginning at 3 p.m.
 
Lincoln Memorial will be looking to snap a two-game losing skid, as the Lady Railsplitters suffered a 15-2 loss at the hands of the Virginia-Wise Cavaliers on Thursday in Wise, Va. That match was tied at 2-2 midway through the first half after Amara Moss (Woodbridge, Va.) and Bre'Asia James (Vero Beach, Fla.) scored goals less than two minutes apart. However, the Cavaliers closed the half on a 5-0 run and outscored Lincoln Memorial 8-0 over the final 30 minutes to power the victory. James led all players with eight shots and six shots on goal.
 
The Lady Railsplitters are aiming to lock down the program's first-ever South Atlantic Conference victory after finishing 0-8 in league play in their inaugural season. Lincoln Memorial came closest to securing that initial SAC win last season in 13-goal losses at Coker and Newberry.
 
The Wolves beat the Lady Railsplitters 17-4 on March 28 of last season in the first-ever meeting between the two programs in Newberry, S.C. Newberry opened that match on a 6-0 run before James put Lincoln Memorial on the board at the 19:58 mark. From there, the Wolves would close on a 9-0 run to carry a 15-1 lead in the break. James registered three more goals in the second half to finish with four on eight shot attempts.
 
Newberry opened the 2016 season by obliterating St. Andrews 21-2 on February 20, but was handed a 16-6 loss by Wheeling Jesuit on Leap Day. That game saw Wheeling Jesuit take a 13-2 lead into the half before taking their foot off of the gas in the second half.
 
The Wolves will have little to no time to rest and recover for Saturday's match against the Lady Railsplitters, though, as Newberry hosts the University of the District of Columbia Firebirds at 4 p.m. on Friday before making the long trip to Harrogate.  
 
Newberry is led by Jessica Baxtrom and Olivia Knight, who have each tallied eight points apiece thus far this season. Baxtrom has six goals and two assists on a team-leading eight shots on goal, while Knight has two goals and six assists with six ground ball recoveries. Ajahna Grosvenor and Helen Kuhn have produced five goals apiece, while Kuhn has seven shots on goal.
 
In last season's meeting against Lincoln Memorial, Baxtrom led the way with four goals and two assists. Grosvenor, Alexis Kahler and Katie Thompson added three goals apiece.
 
Freshman goalkeeper Brandy Bowman has played all 120 minutes for the Newberry, compiling a 9.00 goals against average with 19 saves. She made 11 saves against Wheeling Jesuit, but relinquished 16 goals. She made eight saves in the season-opening win over St. Andrews.
 
A good percentage of LMU's shots this season have landed on goal (83.9 percent), but the Lady Railsplitters have to find a way to finish off those looks. Against Montreat, the Lady Railsplitters were on the mark on 24 of their 27 shots and scored 19 goals. But against Young Harris and Virginia-Wise, it was a different story. LMU landed 10 of its 12 shots on goal versus the Mountain Lions, but scored just five goals. In that match against the Cavaliers, Lincoln Memorial went 13-for-17 on shots on goal with just two goals.
 
The Lady Railsplitters are ranked third in the SAC in shots on goal percentage, but seventh in shooting percentage with a 46.4 percent mark.
 
Game time is set for 3 p.m. at the LMU Soccer Complex. Live stats are available at www.LMURailsplitters.com.