HARROGATE, Tenn. -- A first-half penalty kick helped the Lees-McRae Bobcats (6-2-1) escape the LMU Soccer Complex with a 1-0 victory over the home standing Railsplitters (4-3-1) Wednesday afternoon in NCAA Division II action.
 
Lincoln Memorial fell to 0-3-1 in its last four matches in defeat including a current stretch of three consecutive losses, which is the first such streak for the program since the 2003 season. Wednesday's match also marked the fourth straight winless result against the visiting Bobcats, who hold a 3-1-0 edge in the series since 2009.
 
Lees-McRae's James Smith accounted for the only goal of the match as the senior midfielder drove in a penalty kick in the 27th minute for his fifth score of the season. The PK was initiated by an untimely foul in the box by LMU junior defender Nathaniel Johnson (London, England), who was whistled for a yellow card for his sliding tackle.
 
The Railsplitters manufactured a 20-10 advantage on shot attempts marked by a 12-3 disparity in the second half. Lincoln Memorial also doubled the Bobcats' corner kick output 6-3. Of LMU's seven shots on target, five were accumulated in the final 45 minutes of action.
 
Finishing off opportunities continued to prove troublesome for the Railsplitters, who scored a goal or less for the third straight match. Through the first five appearances of the season, Lincoln Memorial tallied two or more goals four times.
 
Junior George Burne (Carlisle, England) paced the Railsplitters with five shots and two shots on goal, while Lucas Coro (Ribeirao Preto, Brazil) posted four shot attempts. Yuri Passos (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Pedro Villa (New Braunfels, Texas) contributed three shots and a single shot on goal apiece.
 
Goalkeeper Nicholas Stover kept the Railsplitters out of the net, compiling six saves over 90 minutes in net for the Bobcats. Three of Stover's six saves were recorded in the final 13 minutes of regulation including a stop on Villa's left-footed bender in the 82nd minute that stood as the Railsplitters' best chance to equalize the match.
 
Lincoln Memorial's Marcel Barwanietz (Berlin, Germany) allowed only the PK goal while turning away four additional Bobcat shots on goal.
 
The Railsplitters return to the LMU Soccer Complex to wrap up a three match home stand Saturday, October 4, hosting the Brevard Tornados in South Atlantic Conference action.