HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Lady Railsplitters (6-2, 4-1 SAC) aim for their fifth consecutive South Atlantic Conference victory and their sixth straight win overall as they travel to Jefferson City, Tenn. Wednesday to take on arch-rival Carson-Newman (2-7, 0-4 SAC) with the action slated to get underway at 5 p.m. from McGown Field.
Lincoln Memorial has rolled off five straight wins aided by four sequential league victories, continuing the longest active winning streak in the SAC and the program's longest such flourish since 2010. The Lady Railsplitters currently sit at No. 6 in the most recent NSCAA southeast region rankings following a 2-0 triumph over the Brevard Tornados last Saturday. The Lady Railsplitters previously earned their signature victory with a 1-0 triumph over Lenoir-Rhyne two weekends ago. Lincoln Memorial has outscored its opponents 13-2 in its past five appearances.
Sophomore
Michelle Hunter (Tecumseh, Ontario) continues to be a dominating presence on the pitch for the Lady Railsplitters as the sophomore has tallied six goals and one assist, ranking fifth in the SAC in goals scored. The Tecumseh, Ontario native has paced LMU during its five game push as the forward has accumulated five goals and one assist during that span. In addition to Hunter, Lincoln Memorial's offensive attack has benefited from the impactful play of
Fernanda Miaci (Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil),
Maddy Nagy (Rockledge, Fla.),
Kadie Soall (Tecumseh, Ontario) and
Nicole McKinney (Ooltewah, Tenn.) as the quartet has combined for four goals and six assists over LMU's five game flurry.
Junior goalkeeper
Kayla Stephens (Keller, Texas) is amongst the top of the league leaders as the junior paces the SAC with a .920 save percentage. Currently, Stephens also ranks second in goals against average (.45) in addition to being tied for second with Tusculum's Miriah Martin and Newberry's Alexis Carrillo with two goals against. The Keller, Texas native has not permitted a goal in her last seven appearances, accumulating 23 saves on the season and helping the Lincoln Memorial defense post two clean slates.
The Carson-Newman Eagles welcome the Lady Railsplitters still vying for their first conference win, having suffered losses to Wingate, Catawba, Brevard and Lenoir-Rhyne. The Eagles have been outscored by their opponents by a cumulative 20-6 margin with a 6-1 disparity in league play, while ranking last in the conference in several important team categories: goals scored (6), goals per game (0.7) and shot attempts (77).
The Eagle attack is headed by Maleya Garrison, who leads the team with two goals, 14 shots and 10 shots on goal. Mikayla Gregg, Nora Logan and Camilla Olsson have each tallied a single goal apiece. In addition to Carson-Newman's goal scorers, Sidnee Edwards, Chelsea Jordan and Gregg have supported the Eagle offense with an assist apiece
It remains a toss-up as to who the Lady Railsplitters will see in net for the Eagles as both Taylor Hammond and Katy Hill have split time between the pipes. Hill leads the team with five starts, racking up 452:49 minutes, eight goals against, a 1.59 goals against average and 21 saves. Hammond has started four games, allowed 12 goals and contributed 27 saves in 356:52 minutes of action for the Eagles.
The Lady Railsplitters trail the Eagles 6-12-1 in the all-time series since the two programs first met during the 1994 campaign. Lincoln Memorial dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to Carson-Newman at the LMU Soccer Complex last season despite mounting a dominant 28-11 shot advantage. The Lady Railsplitters have only defeated the Eagles twice in the past 13 head-to-head encounters.
First kick between the Lady Railsplitters and Eagles is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday from McGown Field. Carson-Newman will be providing live stats in addition to a free, live video broadcast.
Live StatsVideo
