Harrogate, TN - The anticipation is almost over. The Lincoln Memorial field hockey team is finally on the eve of its first game of the season Thursday, traveling to Greenwood, SC to take on the Lander Bearcats. There will be no time for rest as the Railsplitters will follow up on Friday with a short trip to Spartanburg, SC for a match up with the Converse Valkyries. Lincoln Memorial played each team twice last season, dropping each contest.

This season, the Railsplitters will have more depth than Lander. With a roster full of veteran leadership, Lincoln Memorial will have the benefit of having retained a lot of players that have already played the Bearcats a few times, allowing for familiarity with the game style and speed of Lander. Last season, the Railsplitters lost both games with the Bearcats by a combined score of 0-9.

Much like with Lander, the Railsplitters will have vital in-game experience against Friday opponent Converse. However, the Valkyries have a very deep roster, riddled with veteran talent. Lincoln Memorial will still be familiar with the play style and speed of Converse, which should allow for quick in-game adjustments and a short acclimation period.

With only one win in program history (three years), Lincoln Memorial is looking to put one foot in front of the other this season, take things game-by-game, and start racking up wins en route to the best field hockey season in program history. Now under the leadership of newly minted head coach Marnie Reidell, the Railsplitters will get the season started on Thursday, hopefully with a win, and parlay that momentum into Friday at Converse before the first home game of the season on September 11 against Mount Olive.

Watch Thursday's game against Lander here: ---> https://www.flolive.tv/live/124958
Follow Thursday's action with live stats here: ---> https://landerbearcats.com/sidearmstats/fhockey/summary

Watch Friday's game against Converse here: ---> https://www.flolive.tv/live/124961
Follow Friday's action with live stats here: ---> https://govalkyries.com/sidearmstats/fhockey/summary