HARROGATE, Tenn. – The LMU women's lacrosse team dropped their home South Atlantic Conference opener to Wingate Sunday 16-8. They are now 2-5 on the season and 1-2 in SAC play.

Casey Kelly (Ellenwood, Ga.) had a hat trick for the Lady Railsplitters, scoring three goals, adding in an assist and three draws won. Heather Roache (Vero Beach, Fla.) and Jasmine Click (Clermont, Fla.) each had two goals apiece, with click also picking up three ground balls. Zoe Zervos (Ithaca, N.Y.) had LMU's other goal.

Paulena Dempsey and Brittany Andrews led Wingate with five goals each.

Wingate would run out to a 2-0 lead before Roache put LMU on the board with her ninth goal of the season. After three more Bulldog goals, Click added in a pair of goals and Kelly scored her first goal of the day to cut the lead to 5-4. Wingate would score five of the next six goals to take a 10-5 lead into the half. LMU's lone goal during this stretch was by Kelly, with 1:56 left in the half.

The Bulldogs would outscore LMU 6-3 in the second half. Kelly picked up her third goal of the day and 19th of the season a little over a minute into the half, but despite goals from Zervos (25:45) and Roache (9:57) they could never catch up to Wingate.

LMU will travel to Cleveland, Tennessee, to face Lee University tomorrow at 4:00 p.m.