HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Lady Railsplitters (4-3, 0-2 SAC) will try to pick up their first South Atlantic Conference win of the season on Saturday afternoon when the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (3-2-1, 0-1-1 SAC) invade the LMU Soccer Complex for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
 
The Basics
 
Saturday, September 23 vs. Lenoir-Rhyne – 1pm
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Quick Hits
 
- Lincoln Memorial snapped a three-game losing streak and avoided being shutout in four consecutive matches for the first time in program history with a 2-0 win over the Lees-McRae Bobcats on Wednesday evening in Banner Elk, N.C. Courtney Boyd scored her first career goal to open the scoring in the 29th minute, while Melissa Carpenter bulged the back of the net for the first time this season in the 82nd minute to complete the dominant victory.
 
- After producing a season-low five shots and one shot on goal against Queens on Saturday, the Lady Railsplitters responded with a 26-shot outburst against Lees-McRae, which included 11 shots on goal. Caroline Souza was held scoreless, but led the team with six shots and a pair of shots on goal. That was LMU's highest shot output since recording 30 against Coker last season.
 
- Junior goalkeeper Brooke Taylor rebounded from a forgettable performance against Queens by posting her second clean sheet of the season in the win at Lees-McRae. Taylor didn't face much opposition, though, as the Bobcats produced just two shots on goal and eight shots total.
 
- The Lady Railsplitters will not only be seeking their first SAC win of the season, but are also trying to score their first goal against a league foe. Lincoln Memorial has been blanked by both Tusculum (1-0) and Queens (4-0) to start the SAC schedule. Lincoln Memorial is averaging two goals and 14.2 shots per game against nonconference opponents compared to just nine shots per against SAC foes.
 
- Saturday's match is the start of a brutal stretch of SAC opponents for Lincoln Memorial. Including Lenoir-Rhyne, the Lady Railsplitters' next three conference matches will come against teams that combined for 42 wins last season. Lenoir-Rhyne and Carson-Newman shared the SAC regular-season title in 2016, while Wingate finished a point outside of first with an 8-3 league record.
 
- With the win on Wednesday, Lincoln Memorial surpassed its win total from the entire 2016 season, when the Lady Railsplitters finished 3-10-2. LMU is also on the verge of matching the goal output from last season (12), as the Lady Railsplitters are already up to 10 this season.
 
Know the Opponent
 
- Lenoir-Rhyne has been the class of the SAC women's soccer world in recent years, winning five of the last six regular-season titles, but the Bears are off to an uncharacteristic 0-1-1 start to league play this season. Tusculum scored a pair of goals in the final six minutes to beat the Bears 2-1 last weekend, while Lenoir-Rhyne played Carson-Newman to a 2-2 stalemate on Wednesday night.
 
- Despite a somewhat shaky start, Wednesday's result was a good one for Lenoir-Rhyne, as Carson-Newman entered that match ranked No. 9 in the nation with a spotless 5-0-0 record. The Bears were on the verge of defeat until Rachel Fischer scored the equalizer in the 87th minute to force overtime. The two teams finished with an identical 11 shots apiece, while the Bears had a 9-8 edge in shots on goal.
 
- Sophomore Abigael McGarel leads Lenoir-Rhyne with seven points on three goals and an assist, but junior Abbie Brown is the most explosive force in the Bears' lineup. Brown has accounted for two goals and two assists on a team-high 31 shots and 16 shots on goal. Aqsa Mushtaq and Sarah Pullman also have a pair of goals apiece.
 
- Lenoir-Rhyne is ranked second in the SAC in shots per game (22.0), shots on goal (67), total goals (14) and total assists (14). The Bears have also produced the most corner kicks in the league with 40, an average of over 6.5 per game.
 
- Senior Alayna Morris has played the majority of the minutes in goal for the Bears, compiling a 1.03 goals against average with a .778 save percentage over 525 minutes of action. However, Morris has given up two goals in each of the last three matches after posting three straight shutouts to open the season.
 
- Lenoir-Rhyne is ranked ninth in the 11-team SAC in shots on goal percentage with only 50.8 percent of its shots landing on target.
 
Head-to-Head
 
The Lady Railsplitters are 5-9 all-time against Lenoir-Rhyne with three of those wins occurring at the LMU Soccer Complex. The Bears have won the past two meetings, though, and outscored Lincoln Memorial by a combined 7-1 margin in those contests. In last season's 4-0 loss, the Lady Railsplitters conceded all four goals in the first half. Helen Ramsey and Sarah Pullman both tallied for the Bears.