BANNER ELK, N.C. – The Lady Railsplitters (3-3) hope to make the most lopsided loss of the season a distant memory on Wednesday evening when they take a break from South Atlantic Conference play to pay a visit to the Lees-McRae Bobcats (1-3-1) for a 5 p.m. kickoff in Banner Elk, N.C.
 
The Basics
 
Wednesday, September 20 at Lees-McRae – 5pm
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Quick Hits
 
- After holding opponents to a goal or less in five consecutive matches, the Lady Railsplitters conceded three in the second half alone in a one-sided 4-0 loss to the Queens Royals on Saturday at the LMU Soccer Complex. Queens outshot Lincoln Memorial 20-5 in that match, including a 9-1 edge in shots on goal. It marked the first time that LMU produced just one on-target shot since September 2012.
 
- The Lady Railsplitters started 3-0 and outscored their opponents 8-2 over that span, but have lost their last three matches while being outscored 6-0. Lincoln Memorial will be looking for its first goal since Palisa Chipendo's game-winner in the 82nd minute of a 2-1 win over USC Aiken on September 8. The Lady Railsplitters are also trying to avoid going scoreless in four straight matches for the first time in program history.
 
- Lincoln Memorial is 3-1 against nonconference foes this season, including a 3-1 win at Erskine, a 3-0 win over Tennessee Wesleyan and a 2-1 victory over USC Aiken.
 
- Junior Brooke Taylor will be trying to bounce back from an uncharacteristic performance against the Royals, when she allowed four goals on nine shots on goal. The White Pine, Tenn. native had surrendered just four goals total through the previous five matches of the season.
 
- Junior striker Caroline Souza has been far and away the most productive offensive player for the Lady Railsplitters this season. Her 20 shots is double the next highest total – Chipendo (10) – while her seven points is five clear of every player but Mariana Diaz, who has produced five points on two goals and an assist. She also leads the team with 11 shots on goal.
 
Know the Opponent
 
- The Bobcats enter Wednesday's contest following a 2-1 loss at Mount Olive on Saturday. Lees-McRae conceded both goals within the first 17 minutes of that match before getting one back on an 87th-minute strike by Allyna Ankney. Mount Olive mostly dominated that match, outshooting the Bobcats 25-8 with a 12-4 edge in shots on goal.
 
- Lees-McRae is 0-2 against SAC competition this season. On top of that, the Bobcats have yet to score a single goal against a SAC opponent, suffering a 2-0 season-opening loss at Newberry before taking a 4-0 bludgeoning from Carson-Newman.
 
- Sophomore defender Riley Neese leads the Bobcats with three goals on 11 shots and seven shots on goal, while Ankney and Katie Jo Daniel have a goal and an assist apiece. Cassie McFayden also has a single goal for Lees-McRae. Two of Neese's three goals came at the expense of Barton in a 2-2 draw.
 
- Junior Alexis Feely resides in goal for the Bobcats. Over the course of five starts and 480 minutes of action, Feely has accumulated a 1.88 goals against average and a stellar .825 save percentage.
 
- Lees-McRae is among the bottom of the Conference Carolinas in shots per game (10.0), shots on goal (25) and total goals (6).
 
- The Bobcats will be seeking their first home win of the season. Lees-McRae is 0-1-1 on its home turf, which includes a 4-0 loss to Carson-Newman and a 2-2 draw with Barton.
 
Head-to-Head
 
The Lady Railsplitters are 0-2-1 all-time against Lees-McRae, but the two teams haven't played since 2011, a 0-0 draw in Harrogate. Prior to that, Lincoln Memorial and Lees-McRae had not played since the 1995 campaign. The Lady Railsplitters have actually never scored against the Bobcats, who beat LMU 4-0 in 1994 and 1-0 in 1995.