HARROGATE, Tenn. – With their sights set squarely on the South Atlantic Conference regular season title, the Lady Railsplitters (9-2-1, 7-1-1 SAC) take to the road for the final three matches of the regular season, beginning with a league bout against Catawba (10-5, 5-4 SAC) Saturday in Salisbury, N.C. Kickoff between Lincoln Memorial and the Indians is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Frock Athletic Complex.
The Lady Railsplitters extended their streak of consecutive matches without a loss to nine on Wednesday afternoon, climbing out of a 1-0 first-half deficit to nab a 2-1 victory over rival Tusculum on the foot of senior
Nicole McKinney (Ooltewah, Tenn.). McKinney netted goals in the 65th and 87th minutes to pace the come-from-behind victory.
Lincoln Memorial has been one of the hottest teams in the South Atlantic Conference since falling to Coker in the league lidlifter, having compiled an 8-0-1 record since September 17. The Lady Railsplitters remain two points back of first-place Lenoir-Rhyne, who sits at 8-1 overall with their only league defeat coming in a 1-0 loss to the Lady Railsplitters on September 27. LMU is currently in a three-way tie for second place in the SAC standings with Newberry and Wingate, as all three teams have compiled a 7-1-1 conference mark.
The Catawba Indians are set to host the Lady Railsplitters after dropping a 1-0 contest to Lenoir-Rhyne on Wednesday. Prior to that, Catawba recorded successive wins over Tusculum, Lees-McRae and Brevard. The Indians currently rank third in the SAC with 28 goals and 230 shots, while landing 121 shots on goal and compiling 23 assists in 15 matches. Catawba ranks dead even with Lincoln Memorial with a 1.9 goals for average. The Indians rank near the middle of the pack defensively as that unit has allowed 20 goals for a 1.30 goals against average.
The Indians bring a trio of dominant freshman to the pitch as Kate Weisner, Kiersten Peck, and Becky Frost have combined for 16 goals and nine assists as all three rank near the top of the SAC offensively. Currently, Weisner is fifth in the conference with nine goals on 34 shots, while Frost has added six goals and two assists. Kiersten Peck leads the SAC with six assists, as the true freshman has compiled 47 shots and one goal. In addition to Catawba's freshman trio, the Lady Railsplitters must be wary of Karen Presnell, Allison Baucom and Mary Kirkman as the three have combined for nine goals and four assists.
Defensively, the Indians feature junior goaltender Bethany Davis, who has collected 51 saves and a 1.02 goals against average over 966:37 minutes this season. Saturday's contest marks the fourth time that Davis has faced the Lady Railsplitters as the junior has allowed only three goals with 15 saves in three previous head-to-head encounters.
Nicole McKinney has paced the Lady Railsplitters recently as the senior forward has scored four goals in the team's last five contests. In addition to McKinney, sophomore
Michelle Hunter (Tecumseh, Ontario) and
Fernanda Miaci (Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil) continue to be a force for LMU as Hunter's assist Wednesday pushed the duo's combined season total to 12 goals and five assists.
The Lady Railsplitters defeated the Indians twice a season ago, topping Catawba in 1-0 fashion during the regular season before ending their season with a 2-1 win in the quarterfinals of the 2013 SAC Championship. Lincoln Memorial trails Catawba 7-3-2 in the all-time series.
Lincoln Memorial and Catawba are scheduled to get underway at 5:30 p.m. at Frock Field. Catawba will be providing live stats for the match.
Live Stats
