HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Lady Railsplitters (1-2, 0-1 SAC) dropped the South Atlantic Conference women's soccer opener Saturday at the LMU Soccer Complex in Harrogate, Tennessee to the Coker Cobras (2-2) by a score of 1-0. The loss snapped a streak of 10-consecutive home-opening victories for Lincoln Memorial, who lost its debut in Harrogate for the first time since 2003.
Following a defensive struggle in the first half that ended in a 0-0 tie, the Lady Railsplitters opened the second half with several early scoring opportunities by seniors
Fernanda Miaci (Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil) and
Nicole McKinney (Ooltewah, Tenn.), but both were turned away by Coker goalkeeper Liz Morris.
It was the Cobras who broke the stalemate in the 62nd minute as Trah Monroe charged up the left side of the box and flipped the ball over LMU goaltender
Kathryn Lundy (Pinckney, Mich.), who leaked up in an attempt to deflect the shot but arrived late.
The Lady Railsplitters looked to counter the Coker strike just nine minutes later as McKinney connected a perfectly-placed cross to junior
Maddy Nagy (Rockledge, Fla.) in front of the net, but Nagy's attempt drilled the cross bar.
Another opportunity opened up for the Lady Railsplitters in the 83
rd minute as a foul provided
Olivia Thompson (Melbourne, Fla.) with a free kick at the top of the box. But, Coker keeper Liz Morris recorded her eighth and final save to preserve the shutout.
Six different players accounted for shots for the Lady Railsplitters with Miaci leading the way, firing five attempts with two landing on goal. Juniors Thompson and Nagy added four shots each with two on goal apiece. McKinney, an Ooltewah, Tenn. native, ended the affair with three shots, while
Michelle Hunter (Tecumseh, Ontario) and
Christina Joseph (Sebastian, Fla.) each contributed a single shot.
Lincoln Memorial fell despite mounting an 18-8 advantage in shots and an 8-2 disparity in shots on goal.
The match featured a total of 23 fouls with Coker accounting for 18 of those whistles.
The Lady Railsplitters look to bounce back on Wednesday, September 17 at the LMU Soccer Complex in nonconference action against Georgetown [Ky.]. First kick in that match is slated for 2 p.m. in Harrogate, Tenn.
