GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – The Lady Railsplitters (3-1) angle to bounce back from their first loss of the season on Wednesday evening when they open South Atlantic Conference play with a trip to Greeneville, Tenn. to face the Tusculum Pioneers (2-1). Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. at Pioneer Field.
 
The Basics
 
Wednesday, September 13 at Tusculum – 5pm
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Quick Hits
 
- Lincoln Memorial saw its longest season-opening winning streak since 2011 come to an end on Sunday afternoon in a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to the Young Harris Mountain Lions. The Lady Railsplitters fired off seven shots on goal in that contest, including six in the second half alone, but Young Harris scored in the 72nd minute to escape the LMU Soccer Complex with a victory. The loss denied LMU of its first 4-0 start since 2010.
 
- Caroline Souza was kept out of the scoring column for the second match in a row in that loss to Young Harris, but still managed to amass five shots and four shots on goal. The junior striker is ranked second in the SAC in goals with two, third in points with seven and fourth in shots with 15.
 
- The Lady Railsplitters are one of just five South Atlantic Conference teams holding opponents below a goal per game. Lincoln Memorial has yet to allow multiple goals in a match this season and is conceding a mere 0.75 goals per match.
 
- Lincoln Memorial is averaging the third-fewest shots per game in the SAC this season with 11.3, but the team is making the most of its opportunities with a league-best .178 shooting percentage. The Lady Railsplitters are also landing 60 percent of their shot attempts on goal, which is the fourth-best mark in the league.
 
- The Lady Railsplitters will be looking to snap a four-game winless streak in SAC play dating back to the end of the 2016 campaign. Lincoln Memorial finished 10th in the conference last season with a 2-7-2 league record.
 
- Lincoln Memorial matched its win total from the entire 2016 campaign on Friday with a 2-1 win over USC Aiken at the LMU Soccer Complex. In that victory, Caroline Temple tallied her first career goal in the 33rd minute before Palisa Chipendo pitched in the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute.
 
Know the Opponent
 
- After sharing the SAC regular-season title in 2016, the Pioneers have looked much the same early in the 2017 season. Tusculum opened the season with a 3-0 shellacking of West Alabama before suffering a 3-1 loss in a slugfest against Alabama-Huntsville that featured just 16 combined shot attempts. The Pioneers most recently defeated Tennessee Wesleyan – a team that LMU beat 3-0 – last Wednesday, 2-1.
 
- Tusculum was scheduled to face both Columbus State and Georgia College last weekend in Milledgeville, Ga., but those games were cancelled due to the potential for inclement weather from Hurricane Irma.
 
- Much like the Lady Railsplitters, Tusculum is near the bottom of the SAC in shots per game with just 11.7, but the Pioneers have converted 17.1 percent of their shot attempts into goals. That shooting percentage trails only Lincoln Memorial among SAC programs.
 
- Senior forward Payton DeHart leads the team with two goals on four shots and four shots on goal. DeHart scored her only two goals of the season in the win over Tennessee Wesleyan. Freshman midfielder Brooke Radcliffe has contributed a goal and an assist, while Elise Gallo, Kate Guildford and Cheyenne Upton have a single goal apiece.
 
- Along with those players, the Pioneers are led by preseason All-SAC first team midfielder Katja Andersson and defender Carlie Thornber. Andersson has yet to score this season on any of her three shot attempts.
 
- Junior goalkeeper Hannah Graham started the first two matches of the season, accounting for a 1.50 goals against average and a .750 save percentage. However, she didn't play in the win over Tennessee Wesleyan, as sophomore Danielle Breen and freshman Tatiana Brady split duties in that match. Breen did not allow a goal or make a save over 45 minutes of work, while Brady conceded one goal and made one save over that same span.
 
- Including the win over Tennessee Wesleyan, the Pioneers are 8-2-2 in their last 12 home matches. Tusculum hasn't lost outright to a SAC opponent since suffering a 4-2 loss to Carson-Newman on October 27, 2015, a span of eight matches.
 
Head-to-Head
 
The Pioneers own a 14-10-3 advantage in the all-time series against Lincoln Memorial, who will be looking to win in Greeneville for the first time since October 20, 2011. The Lady Railsplitters are 1-4-1 in their last six meetings against Tusculum, including a 2-0 loss last season in Harrogate.