DUE WEST, S.C. – The Sean Fraser era gets underway on Thursday evening when the Lincoln Memorial University women's soccer team opens the 2017 campaign against the Erskine Flying Fleet in Due West, S.C. at 5 p.m.  
 
The Basics
 
Thursday, August 31 at Erskine – 5 pm
Live Stats
Video
 
Quick Hits
 
- Lincoln Memorial is looking to bounce back from a 3-10-2 effort during the 2016 season, which included a 2-7-2 mark in South Atlantic Conference play. The Lady Railsplitters were selected to finish ninth in the SAC preseason coaches poll, which was released on Monday.
 
- Sean Fraser was selected as the head coach of the LMU women's soccer program in January. After a long wait, he is finally ready for his first season with the Lady Railsplitters. Fraser arrives at Lincoln Memorial after serving a one-year stint as the Assistant Men's Soccer Coach at the University of Charleston, who went 19-3-2 and finished as the national runners-up last season. Read more about the coach.

- The Lady Railsplitters return all eight players that scored at least one point last season, including 2016 All-SAC honorable mention selection Caroline Souza (4 goals, 2 assists) and senior forward Melissa Carpenter (3 goals, 1 assist). In total, Lincoln Memorial welcomes back 19 letterwinners off of last season's team. Preview the season here.

- The team's most significant loss was in goal, as the Lady Railsplitters graduated goalkeeper Kathryn Lundy, who made 85 saves and amassed an 80.2 save percentage in 2016. Junior Brooke Taylor is in line to replace Lundy. Taylor made eight appearances with three starts last season, compiling 25 saves and a 65.8 save percentage.          
 
- The Lady Railsplitters are 11-2 in season openers since the start of the 2004 season. However, both of those losses have occurred in the past three years, including a 3-1 setback to No. 10 Bellarmine to open the 2016 campaign. Lincoln Memorial also dropped a 4-1 decision to No. 2 West Florida in the 2014 opener.
 
- After Thursday's opener, the Lady Railsplitters will play four of their next five matches at the LMU Soccer Complex, including a stretch of three games in eight days that begins against Tennessee Wesleyan on Sunday.
 
Know the Opponent
 
- Erskine finished ninth in the Conference Carolinas last season with a 5-12 overall record and a 4-7 mark in league play. The Flying Fleet ended the season by losing seven of their last eight matches. Erskine was picked to repeat that performance in the Conference Carolinas preseason coaches poll.
 
- The Flying Fleet return their three leading point scorers in senior forward Kayla Kieffer, senior forward Ani Miller-Wells and junior midfielder Jillian Koves. Kieffer led the team with 12 points on five goals and two assists, while Miller-Wells matched Kieffer with five goals. Koves had a goal and two assists on just seven shots on goal.
 
- Erskine struggled offensively last season, averaging just 0.94 goals per match. That was exacerbated by the 245th-ranked scoring defense, as the Flying Fleet allowed 3.08 goals per match. Over the course of the season, Erskine was outshot by its opponents 317-149.
 
- Junior goalkeeper Abbigale Schmidt is likely to retain the starting position after making 15 starts last season for the Flying Fleet. Over that span, Schmidt allowed 3.27 goals per match, made 117 saves and recorded a 70.5 save percentage. She faced an average of 18.2 shots per match.
 
- Erskine did not have a single player named to either the Conference Carolinas first, second or third team last season.
 
- The Flying Fleet haven't had more than five wins in a season since going 6-11 in 2011.  
 
Head-to-Head
 
- Thursday marks the first all-time meeting between Lincoln Memorial and Erskine. The Lady Railsplitters are opening their season in South Carolina for the first time since the 2001 campaign, when they traveled to USC Aiken.