HARROGATE, Tenn. — The streaking Lincoln Memorial University women's lacrosse team will begin a grueling stretch of three games in seven days when it hosts South Atlantic Conference foe Wingate University Saturday at noon at the LMU Lacrosse Complex.
 
The Lady Railsplitters (9-2, 4-1 SAC) are riding a three-game winning streak after a resounding 20-1 road win against Emmanuel College Tuesday. During the three-game stretch, LMU has also defeated conference opponents Mars Hill and Catawba.
 
Wingate (3-7, 1-2 SAC) will be coming into the game having lost its last two. Wednesday, the Bulldogs were beaten by Lenoir-Rhyne, 15-14. L-R scored the winning goal with less than a minute left in the match. Wingate's prior loss was to Catawba, a team LMU beat 13-2.  
 
"They played L-R really well," Head Coach Caitlyn Corace said. "They lost in the last 20 seconds. This is going to be a close game for us. Wingate is quick and pushes the ball in transition so we have to be prepared for them. Their goalie is also very active."
 
Wingate comes into the game averaging 12 goals per match and is led by Kendall Wells with 23 goals and Becca Ruiz, who leads the team in assists. On the defensive end of the field, the Bulldogs are giving up 13 goals per game.
 
"We have to be aware of them at all times," Corace commented. "We have to be aware of their cutters and their isolation plays."
 
In LMU's last game against Emmanuel, the Lady Railsplitters committed 20 fouls. Against a strong team like Wingate, that will lead to free-position shots.
 
"We are not going to limit our aggressiveness," Corace said. "We are going to focus on not putting them on the line and make sure we are crashing to the shooter and force a bad shot."
 
Erin DePaul with her 38 goals and Kelly Csenar with 27 goals lead the Lady Railsplitter attack. Wingate will also have to keep an eye on Amara Moss (22 goals), Casey Kelly (13 goals) and Jasmin Click (12 goals). On defense, Zoe Zervos has been the driving force along with goalie Micayla Starnes, who has a goals against average of 8.55, which is currently the lowest in program history.
 
"We have to move the ball and look at all of our options," Corace explained. "We can't get into a shootout with them; they put up 14 goals against Lenoir Rhyne. We have to be smart with the ball and use our possessions and clock management wisely."
 
Following Saturday's game, LMU will play host to UIndy on Tuesday and Lenoir-Rhyne next Saturday. UIndy is ranked 12^thin the latest Division II Women's Lacrosse poll, while L-R is currently battling for first place in the conference with Queens.
 
"We've been preparing for this stretch all season," Corace said. "Having these three tough games will prepare us for the future. It's all about being mentally ready to turn around and meet another tough opponent."
 
Video and live stats for Saturday's game are available at www.lmurailsplitters.com.