HARTSVILLE, S.C. -- Powered by freshmen midfielders Claire Leasure and Caroline Souza, the Lady Railsplitters (4-6-3, 2-4-2 SAC) captured a 4-1 win over the Coker Cobras (4-8, 2-6 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference women's soccer action on Saturday in Hartsville, S.C.
 
With the win, Lincoln Memorial snapped a seven-match winless streak against NCAA Division II opponents and got their first SAC victory since the league opener on September 16 at Brevard.
 
Leasure (Franklin, Tenn.) accounted for two goals, while Souza (Sao Paulo, Brazil) scored a goal and added two assists to carry the Lady Railsplitters' offensive attack, which matched its season high - against an NCAA opponent - with four goals.
 
Most of the scoring took place in the first half as the Lady Railsplitters and Cobras exchanged goals less than a minute apart early in regulation.
 
Kadie Soall (Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada) played a perfectly struck through ball down the right sideline for Olivia Thompson (Melbourne, Fla.), who then flipped a cross into the box for Souza in the 14th minute. Souza was able to convert the opening marker - her third goal of the season - by punching it into the lower right side of the net. The Cobras needed just 56 seconds to get the equalizer though, as an LMU defender slipped and gave Anna Vig a breakaway run, and she snuck it past LMU's Kathryn Lundy (Pinckney, Mich.) on a shot that deflected off of a player in the box.
 
Lincoln Memorial rebounded from Coker's quick response as two late first-half goals from Leasure helped the Lady Railsplitters carry a 3-1 advantage into the halftime break.
 
The first of Leasure's goals came off of a counterattack in the 35th minute, as a quick pass found Souza with space in the Lady Railsplitters' attacking front. Souza quickly changed sides of the field with a pass to Leausre, who was all alone with Coker's Shelby Middleton. LMU's freshman midfielder won that battle by blasting a shot into the left side of the net to put Lincoln Memorial back in front.
 
The Souza-Leasure connection proved profitable once more less than two minutes later, as Souza stole the ball away at midfield and played a long ball through two Coker defenders to put Leasure in a one-on-one with the Coker goalkeeper. She went into the lower right-hand corner of the net this time for her sixth goal of the season to extend the Lady Railsplitters' lead to 3-1.
 
The score held at 3-1 for most of the second half, that is until a Coker own goal helped the Lady Railsplitters push the final margin to 4-1 in the 83rd minute. Senior Maddy Nagy (Viera, Fla.) made the own goal possible with a corner kick that bounced off the back of a Cobra defender.
 
The Lady Railsplitters outshot Coker 15-8 including a massive 10-3 disparity on shots on goal. Souza led the Lady Railsplitters with four shots and four shots on goal, while Nagy accounted for three shot attempts. Leasure scored two goals on just two shots, while Alyssa Berry (St. Joseph, Mich.) had two shots and two shots on frame.
 
Lundy allowed a goal and made a save before giving way to Kayla Stephens (Keller, Texas) in the second half. Stephens made one stop over the match's final 45 minutes.
 
Vig accounted for six of the Cobras' eight shots, including their lone goal of the match. Middleton made six saves and relinquished four goals in 90 minutes of action in net for Coker.
 
The Lady Railsplitters next return to the LMU Soccer Complex on Wednesday for a 1 p.m. SAC match against the Mars Hill Lions.
 
Match Notes
The Lady Railsplitters' four goals were their most against a SAC opponent since they scored four times in a double overtime win at Carson-Newman on October 9, 2014...Leasure now leads the Lady Railsplitters with six goals - that's the most goals for an LMU freshman since Michelle Hunter (Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada) tallied eight goals in 2013...With Saturday's win, Lincoln Memorial has outscored the Cobras by a combined 9-1 margin in two matches in Hartsville