HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Lincoln Memorial University women's soccer team returns to the pitch for the first time in 10 days on Wednesday when the Lady Railsplitters (3-1, 0-0 SAC) host in-state and South Atlantic Conference rival Carson-Newman (3-2, 1-0 SAC) at the LMU Soccer Complex. 
 
Hurricane Florence wreaked havoc on LMU's schedule last week with postponements of matches with Mount Olive and Queens. The Lady Railsplitters last played on September 9 in a 3-0 win at USC Aiken. Carson-Newman has also had a full week off due to the hurricane. The Eagles won their SAC opener last Wednesday, 1-0, over Lenoir-Rhyne, but had Saturday's match at Newberry postponed.
 
The Basics 
Wednesday, Sept. 19 vs Carson-Newman — 1 p.m.
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Quick Hits
 
- Jessica Cravero netted a first-half hat trick at USC Aiken to propel Lincoln Memorial to a 3-0 win in the team's most recent match on September 9. The freshman slammed home her first career goals in the 26th, 35th and 41st minutes to record the first hat trick by an LMU player since 2015.
- Itzel Ballestros, Courtney Boyd and Jessica Steen each assisted on one of the goals. Ballestros leads the Lady Railsplitters with three assists on the year while Steen has two.
- Cravero finished with match highs of six shots and four shots on goal, while Maria Hernandez contributed three shots and one on goal. Boyd and Ballesteros added two shots apiece.
- Ann-Marie O'Connell made five saves to post her second clean sheet of the season and improved to 3-1. The junior transfer from San Bernardino Valley College has played every minute in net for the Lady Railsplitters and is tied for third in the SAC with an .824 save percentage.
- For the season, the Lady Railsplitters are averaging 16.8 shots per match compared to 10.5 for opponents.
- Ballestros and Cravero have accounted for more than half of the team's goals, shots and shots on goal totals. The duo has accounted for five of LMU's eight goals, 36 of 67 shots and 15 of 28 shots on goal. Despite not having a shot on goal at USC Aiken, Ballestros (11) still leads the Lady Railsplitters by a wide margin, as Cravero (4) is the only other player that has collected more than three.
- Lincoln Memorial has been particularly dominant in the first half of matches this season, having totaled seven of its eight goals, while outscoring opponents 7-1 and outshooting their them 44-22. The Lady Railsplitters have been outscored 2-1 in second halves, though the team has still outshot opponents 23-20.
- LMU is 3-1 for the second consecutive year. The team hasn't started a season 4-1 since 2012.
- Lincoln Memorial also has a chance to win its conference opener for the third time in four years. The team is 6-5 in openers since joining the SAC.
- Newcomers have played a big role for the Lady Railsplitters so far this season. Seven new faces – Ballesteros, Cravero, Hernandez, Steen, O'Connel, Fabienne Loetscher and Lauren Wood – have stated every match. Daisy Drake has also appeared in all four matches.
 
Know the Opponent

- Magda Mosengo converted on a penalty kick just 6:22 into Carson-Newman's most recent match at Lenoir-Rhyne on September 12. That score held the rest of the way as the Eagles went on to win their SAC opener 1-0.
- Jackie Burns collected her 26^th career clean sheet and needs just one more to set the South Atlantic Conference record for most career shutouts.
- The Eagles opened their season with a pair of losses to West Florida and Columbus State but have won their last three matches over Lees-McRae, Lee and Lenoir Rhyne. Carson-Newman has scored within the first 12 minutes in each of the three wins, including two straight with a goal less than seven minutes in.
- Emilee Futrell leads the team with four goals while Allie-Anne Blackburn and Mosengo have netted three apiece. Mosengo leads the team with 21 shots while Futrell has 18. No other Eagle has more than eight. In addition, Mosengo is the only Eagle to tally two assists.
- Carson-Newman owns a 37-3-2 record against SAC opponents since 2015 and has outscored those teams 122-25.

Head-to-Head
 
- Lincoln Memorial has dropped four straight and five of the past six meetings to Carson-Newman. The Eagles lead the all-time series 16-7-1. Carson-Newman is 14-3-1 in the series since 2000.
- The last three meetings and four of the past five have been played in Jefferson City. Lincoln Memorial hasn't hosted its in-state conference rival since 2015.
- The Lady Railsplitters are just 2-8 against Carson-Newman in Harrogate and have lost six straight. LMU hasn't beaten the Eagles in Harrogate since 1999 and never at the LMU Soccer Complex (0-3).