HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The 2016 Lincoln Memorial University women's lacrosse schedule is marked by a home-heavy start that will see the Lady Railsplitters play five of their first six matches in Harrogate.
 
The Lady Railsplitters' second season is comprised of 16 regular-season matches: eight nonconference matches and eight South Atlantic Conference tilts.
 
Lincoln Memorial will spend the better part of the first month of the 2016 campaign at home. The Lady Railsplitters open the season against Asbury on February 13 before heading the Montreat on February 19. The next four matches will then be hosted in Harrogate, as the Lady Railsplitters welcome Young Harris (Feb. 24), Newberry (Mar. 5) in the SAC opener, Post (Mar. 8) and Catawba (Mar. 12).
 
Seven of Lincoln Memorial's last nine matches will be played on the road, though. After a four-game road trip that will take the Lady Railsplitters to Wingate (Mar. 19), Pikeville (Mar. 21), Queens (Mar. 26) and Tusculum (Mar. 30), LMU returns home to face Brevard on April 2. The Lady Railsplitters then wrap up the regular season with road games at North Greenville (Apr., 6), Virginia-Wise (Apr. 13) and Lenoir-Rhyne (Apr. 16), followed by the home and regular-season finale against Coker on April 23.
 
The top six teams in the final league standings earn a bid to the SAC Championship, which runs from April 26-30. The quarterfinal round matches will be played at the site of the higher seed, while the semifinal and championship matches are being hosted by Queens University in Charlotte, N.C.
 
Below is a team-by-team guide to the Lady Railsplitters' 2016 schedule. 
 
-Asbury - February 13 in Harrogate (3 p.m.)
A second-year NAIA program located in Wilmore, Ky., the Eagles compiled a 3-7 record in their inaugural season with losses in five of their last six matches. Asbury's young core featured 11 freshmen starters last season, led by All-Conference midfielder Savannah Neese, who paced the Eagles with 19 goals.
 
-Montreat - February 19 at Montreat, N.C. (3:30 p.m.)
The Cavaliers - an NAIA program stationed in Montreat, N.C. - are entering their first official season of women's lacrosse. Montreat is heading into its inaugural season under the direction of head coach Will McMinn, who previously served in that same capacity at Concordia University in Irvine, Calif. 
 
-Young Harris - February 24 in Harrogate (4 p.m.)
The Mountain Lions compiled an 11-5 record in 2015, which included a 20-1 win over Lincoln Memorial in the Lady Railsplitters' season finale. Young Harris was one of the elite offensive teams in the country a season ago, ranking fifth in the nation with 15.56 goals per game. That was due in large part to their dominance in the draw circle, as the Mountain Lions ranked second in the nation with 15.94 draw controls per game. Sophomore Nicole Kernohan returns after leading the Mountain Lions with 46 goals as a freshman.
 
-Newberry - March 5 in Harrogate (1 p.m.)
The Lady Railsplitters matched their best scoring output in a SAC match against the Wolves last season in a 17-4 loss on March 28. Newberry completed the 2015 campaign with a 5-10 overall record and a 2-6 league mark. The Wolves were haunted by a league-worst .359 save percentage, as they allowed over 14 goals per match. Jessica Baxtrom returns for Newberry after tallying a team-leading 42 goals and 49 points in 2015. 
 
-Post - March 8 in Harrogate (4 p.m.)
The Eagles went winless last season, as opponents outscored the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference program 251-112. Stalwart goalkeeper Kathy Walker graduated after ranking third in the nation in both total saves (200) and saves per game (12.5) while also ranking 31st in the country in save percentage with a 44.3 percent stoppage rate. Miranda Polaski also exhausted her eligibility after ranking eighth in the country in draw controls per game with 5.31.
 
-Catawba - March 12 in Harrogate (4 p.m.)
The Indians finished tied with Tusculum for third place in the SAC standings with a 9-9 overall record and a 5-3 league mark last season. The Lady Railsplitters matched their highest goal total in a SAC match against Catawba in an 18-4 loss in Salisbury, N.C. on March 14. The Indians bring back All-SAC first team goalkeeper Bethany Davis, who led the league and ranked 14th nationally in saves last season with 161.
 
-Wingate - March 19 at Wingate, N.C. (4 p.m.)
The Bulldogs tied with Coker for sixth in the South Atlantic Conference standings in 2015, compiling a 9-8 overall record and a 4-4 league mark. The Lady Railsplitters suffered an 18-1 loss at the hands of Wingate on March 11 at the Rocky Top Sports Complex. The Bulldogs ranked 20th in the nation in draw controls last season with 14.12 per game, but that didn't do much to help an offense that accounted for just over 12 goals per match. Wingate does return its top four scorers from last season in Erin Murphy (38g, 7a), Jaclyn Chiesa (31g, 12a), Brittany Andrews (31g, 9a) and Emily Nosek (29g, 9a).
 
-Pikeville - March 21 at Pikeville, Ky. (6 p.m.)
The Lady Railsplitters defeated Pikeville 8-5 in a battle of first-year programs last season to pick up their first-ever win on March 24 at the LMU Lacrosse Complex. The Bears finished the 2015 campaign with a 1-7 overall record. Pikeville saw seven games cancelled by weather in its inaugural season.
 
-Queens - March 26 at Charlotte, N.C. (3 p.m.)
The Royals captured both the 2015 South Atlantic Conference regular-season and tournament championships, smashing Lenoir-Rhyne 20-10 in the SAC Championship title match to finish the year with a 13-5 overall record. That included a 20-1 win over the Lady Railsplitters. Queens boasted the second-best scoring offense in the nation last season by averaging 15.89 goals per match. Abigail Paulus returns for the Royals after accounting for 72 points (28g, 44a) last season, ranking second in the SAC in that category.
 
-Tusculum - March 30 at Greeneville, Tenn. (4 p.m.)
The Pioneers absolutely obliterated expectations in their inaugural season of women's lacrosse, compiling a 10-5 record and a 5-3 league mark to tie for third place in the SAC standings. That included a 16-2 victory over Lincoln Memorial at the LMU Lacrosse Complex on March 18. Tusculum trailed only Lenoir-Rhyne for the SAC and national lead in ground balls per game with 24.8. The Pioneers return their top seven scorers from last season, led by Kelsey Crow, who accounted for 54 goals and 12 assists as a junior.
 
-Brevard - April 2 in Harrogate (4 p.m.)
The Tornados posted a 3-12 record with a 1-7 South Atlantic Conference mark last season. That included a lopsided 20-2 win over Lincoln Memorial in Brevard, N.C. on April 4. Brevard ranked 85th out of 92 NCAA Division II teams in scoring defense last season by allowing 16.27 goals per match. The Tornados' 17-player roster was composed of 11 freshmen. Caitlyn Nemeth (51g, 12a) and Alyssa Barrett (48g, 7a) return after leading Brevard in virtually every offensive category last season.
 
-North Greenville - April 6 at Tigerville, S.C. (6 p.m.)
The Crusaders completed the 2015 campaign with a 2-10 overall record, with their only wins coming against College of Charleston and Truett McConnell in back-to-back appearances. North Greenville ranked dead last in the nation last season with a dreadful .303 save percentage. To make matters worse, the Crusaders were near the bottom of the national standings in scoring offense with just 6.36 goals per game.
 
-Virginia-Wise - April 13 at Wise, Va. (7 p.m.)
The Cavaliers capped their inaugural season with a 3-11 record, including a 1-4 mark in Mountain East Conference play. Coach Meghan Dennehy was named MEC Coach of the Year for leading Virginia-Wise in a season marked by exceeded expectations. The Cavaliers defeated the Lady Railsplitters 15-2 at the LMU Lacrosse Complex on April 1.
 
-Lenoir-Rhyne - April 16 at Hickory, N.C. (1 p.m.)
The Bears finished as the SAC regular-season and tournament runner-up last season, completing the 2015 campaign with a 10-8 overall record. Lenoir-Rhyne defeated the Lady Railsplitters 21-2 on February 28 at the Rocky Top Sports Complex in Gatlinburg, Tenn. The Bears led the nation in ground balls pick-ups per game with 25.44. Top point scorer Lauren Donovan graduated, but the Bears do return second-leading scorer Claire Wach, who accounted for 41 goals and 24 assists in 2015.
 
-Coker - April 23 in Harrogate (4 p.m.)
The Cobras tied for fifth in the South Atlantic Conference last season with a 9-8 overall record. The Lady Railsplitters suffered a 16-3 loss at Coker on March 7 in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Cobras had a difficult time stopping opposing offenses in 2015, ranking 58th out of 92 NCAA Division II teams in scoring defense by allowing 12.94 goals per match. They also posted a dismal .373 save percentage.