HARROGATE, Tenn. -- A South Atlantic Conference battle against the 2013 National Championship runner-up awaits the Railsplitters (5-3-1, 2-2-1 SAC) under the lights of McGown Field as they travel to Jefferson City, Tenn. to square off with Carson-Newman (4-4-1, 3-1-1 SAC) at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
 
Lincoln Memorial and Carson-Newman have clashed 29 times since the 1987 season and a good portion of those encounters have had higher stakes than the already elevated intensity of an in-state rivalry. The Railsplitters collected a 1-0 overtime victory against the Eagles in the semifinals of the 2012 SAC Championship. LMU and Carson-Newman were both ranked among the top 25 in the country in four consecutive matches from 2006-07, with the Railsplitters winning three of those four. In 2007, Lincoln Memorial toppled the Eagles to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight. The Railsplitters collected a 3-2 win over the Eagles at the LMU Soccer Complex during the 2013 campaign. All told, Lincoln Memorial holds a 16-11-2 edge in the series.
 
After an early-season surge, the Railsplitters have experienced a hint of adversity in recent weeks. Following a nearly flawless 4-0 start, Lincoln Memorial dropped three straight decisions for the first time since 2003. The Railsplitters snapped that skid on Saturday, though, outshooting the Brevard Tornados 32-7 in a 3-1 win at the LMU Soccer Complex. The Railsplitters enter Wednesday's match-up tied for seventh in the SAC standings.
 
The Eagles' season has stood in stark contrast to the Railsplitters' as Carson-Newman started off 0-3 before ripping off a 4-1-1 mark in its past six appearances on the pitch. Carson-Newman rode into the 2014 bearing the weight of high expectations after playing its way into the 2013 National Championship. The Eagles fell to Southern New Hampshire in that title contest. The Eagles are currently alone in second on the league ledger.
 
Carson-Newman boasts the most formidable and productive offensive attack in the South Atlantic Conference, leading the league in goals scored (24) and shot percentage (.211) while ranking second in the SAC with 61 shots on goal. The Eagles have accounted for 2.7 goals per game, the highest among SAC programs, while limiting their opponents to only 1.08 goals a game.
 
Junior midfielder Robert Wagner is pacing the Eagles with six goals, 20 shots and 15 shots on frame, while fellow junior midfielder Sindre Welo has contributed three goals and three assists with 16 shot attempts. 11 different Eagles have tallied goals this season as Joao Pedro Dowsley has also produced three scores and Marius Staalby's stat ledger shows two goals and a team-high four assists.
 
The Railsplitters will find Kavi Luchowa in net for the Eagles as the junior netminder has compiled 832:03 minutes in net this season with 33 saves, a 1.08 goals against average and 10 goals allowed. The rock solid Luchowa leads the South Atlantic Conference with a .767 save percentage.
 
Lincoln Memorial combats that potent offensive unit and stingy defensive group with a scoring attack that has mounted 15 goals, 1.7 goals per game and a league-leading 182 shot attempts. Junior Leonardo da Silva (Itajuba, Brazil) scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season in LMU's 3-1 win over Brevard on Saturday as the Itajuba, Brazil native has accumulated that goal total on 22 shots and 10 shots on goal. Six additional Railsplitters have scored goals as Pedro Villa (New Braunfels, Texas) has accounted for three while Yuri Passos (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has posted two goals and a pair of assists.
 
Senior goalkeeper Marcel Barwanietz (Berlin, Germany) has been as equally unbreachable as Carson-Newman's Luchowa. Barwanietz leads the SAC with a 0.97 goals against average as he has relinquished only nine scores in 838:54 minutes in net. His .757 save percentage is the third-best among league goaltenders.
 
The Railsplitters and Eagles are set to get underway at 7:30 p.m. at McGown Field in Jefferson City, Tenn. Carson-Newman will be providing both live stats and a live, video broadcast.

Live Stats
Video