JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Senior Fernanda Miaci's (Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil) hat trick powered the Lady Railsplitters (7-2, 5-1 SAC) to a thrilling 4-3 double overtime victory Thursday evening at McCown Field in Jefferson City, Tenn., as Lincoln Memorial overcame a man down disadvantage to topple the Carson-Newman Eagles (2-8, 0-5 SAC) in the 109th minute and claim their sixth straight win.
 
Miaci's hat trick was the first for a Lady Railsplitters since Sarah Taylor accomplished that feat against Tennessee Wesleyan during the 2009 campaign. On the wings of Miaci's right foot, Lincoln Memorial avenged a 3-2 loss to the Eagles in 2013 and improved to 7-12-1 all-time versus its in-state rival.
 
Carson-Newman opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Sidnee Edwards headed home a goal off of a corner kick from Gabrielle Gianeselli to give the Eagles an early 1-0 advantage. The Eagles would take that one-goal lead into the halftime break, preceding what would be a bonkers final 45 minutes of regulation.  
 
The Lady Railsplitters evened the score just over three minutes into the second half as Miaci struck for the first of her three goals, beating charging Carson-Newman goaltender Katy Hill to the right side of the net. The Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil native smacked in her second goal in the 67th minute as she rattled a shot from 25 yards out just over the hands of the Eagle keeper to give LMU a 2-1 cushion.
 
That lead-taking goal came just minutes after Lincoln Memorial senior Brittany Jenkins (Alpharetta, Ga.) was issued her second yellow card, disqualifying her for the remainder of the match and forcing the Lady Railsplitters to play with a man down disadvantage from the 63rd minute on.
 
The Eagles tied the score in the 69th minute on a Mikayla Gregg penalty kick before they grabbed a 3-2 advantage just seconds later as Gianeselli placed a pass in the six-yard box for an awaiting Helen Seed, who powered Carson-Newman into the lead.
 
The Lady Railsplitters trailed for less than two minutes as senior captain Nicole McKinney (Ooltewah, Tenn.) poked in the equalizer in the 71st minute for her second goal in as many games.
 
After the first 10-minute overtime passed without consequence, the final extra period was winding down as Miaci ended the 20th in-state rivalry match-up in the 109th minute. The senior found the net for the third time of the night and the sixth time of the season, using an assist from junior Krista Holka (Harrison Township, Mich.) to give the Lady Railsplitters their fifth consecutive South Atlantic Conference triumph.
 
Despite being outshot 26-16 in the contest, six Lady Railsplitters managed to hoist up shots as Miaci led the way with nine shots and seven shots on goal while McKinney added three shots and two shots on goal.
 
Junior goalkeeper Kayla Stephens (Keller, Texas) manned the net for LMU as she allowed three goals while facing 11 shots on goal, finishing the night with eight saves to match a career-high.   
 
Thursday evening's match featured six yellow cards and a red card as Lincoln Memorial's Lauren Dusold (Spirit Lake, Iowa), Stephens, and Jenkins accounted for four yellow cards and the red, while Megan Peterson and Susann Kneifel were flagged for Carson-Newman's two yellow card penalties.
 
Lincoln Memorial is slated to return to action Saturday, October 11 as they travel to Charlotte, N.C. to battle Queens. The Lady Railsplitters and Royals are scheduled to get underway at 5 p.m.