HARROGATE, Tenn. – Aiming for their fourth consecutive South Atlantic Conference victory and their fifth straight win overall, the Lady Railsplitters (5-2, 3-1 SAC) play host to the Brevard Tornados (3-6, 1-3 SAC) Saturday at the LMU Soccer Complex. Lincoln Memorial and Brevard are scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m. in Harrogate, Tenn.

After stumbling to a 1-2 start, the Lady Railsplitters have spun off four straight wins including three in a row in league play, claiming the longest active winning streak in the SAC. The Lady Railsplitters jumped to No.6 in the most recent NSCAA southeast region rankings after knocking off the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears, who were previously unbeaten in league play, 1-0 last Saturday in Harrogate. Lincoln Memorial has outscored its opponents 11-2 in its past four appearances on the pitch.
 
Sophomore Michelle Hunter (Tecumseh, Ontario) and junior Kadie Soall (Tecumseh, Ontario) have paced the Lady Railsplitters offensively during the current four game surge as the two have combined for six goals and an assist over that span. Hunter leads the team with five goals, four of which has been struck in the past four contests. The Tecumseh, Ontario native has launched 15 shots with seven shots on goal this season. Hunter's countrywoman Kadie Soall has accounted for two goals and an assist in her past three outings including the game-winning strike against Lenoir-Rhyne last Saturday.

Junior backstop Kayla Stephens (Keller, Texas) remains a steady presence in net for the Lady Railsplitters as she has stretched her scoreless appearance streak to six games. The Keller, Texas native has stopped five shots in each of the team's last three games with 22 saves total this season. Stephens is tied for the conference lead in goals against (2) with Tusculum's Miriah Martin and Newberry's Alexis Carrillo, additionally ranking second among conference keepers in goals against average (.45).

The Brevard Tornados arrive at the LMU Soccer Complex following a 1-0 victory over Carson-Newman last Saturday and a 2-1 loss to Emmanuel (Ga.) in non-conference action Tuesday evening in Brevard, N.C. The Tornados have struggled to find the net this season, being outscored by their opponents 21-6 and ranking near the bottom of the SAC in three major offensive categories: goals scored (6), goals per game (0.7) and shot attempts (93).

Katherine Nickels leads the Tornados with three goals as the junior has tallied 10 shots and eight shots on goal, while Sydney Alencewicz, Megan Jenkins and Kimiko Nakanishi have each contributed goals of their own. In addition to Brevard's quartet of scorers, Shannon Bava and Hunter Denney have aided the Tornado attack with an assist apiece. 

The Lady Railsplitters are likely to see freshman goalkeeper Jocelyn Springer in goal as the first-year netminder has logged every minute for the Tornados this season. Spring has allowed 21 goals against for a 2.33 goals against average while turning away 42 shots over that span. Currently, Springer's 42 saves rank fourth in the conference.

The Lady Railsplitters will look to make it eight consecutive triumphs over Brevard as Lincoln Memorial enters action Saturday a perfect 7-0 in the all-time series, including a 3-0 record at home. The Lady Railsplitters have outscored the Tornados by a combined 29-5 margin in those seven head-to-head encounters.

First kick between the Lady Railsplitters and Tornados is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at the LMU Soccer Complex. Admission is free to all home soccer events, while the LMU Sports Network will also be providing a free, live video broadcast.  

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