HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Kadie Soall (Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada) picked the ideal time to end an eight-match scoreless streak, tallying in the 72nd minute to lead the Lady Railsplitters (5-8-3, 3-6-2 SAC) to a 1-0 win over the Catawba Indians (4-13, 2-9 SAC) on Senior Day in the regular season finale at the LMU Soccer Complex on Saturday. With the win, Lincoln Memorial clinched a spot in next week's South Atlantic Conference Championship, earning the No. 8 seed and a match-up against SAC regular season champion Carson-Newman.
 
The Lady Railsplitters were pinned back in the Indians' attacking front for the first 10 minutes of regulation, but Lincoln Memorial regrouped after that passage of play and nearly grabbed an early lead. At the 11:32 mark, Josefin Hedstrom (Burtrask, Sweden) fired a beautifully struck free kick from 30 yards deep in the middle of the field, but Catawba's Angelica Pawlowski laid out to her right to make a dazzling save and keep the match scoreless. Hedstrom had another direct free kick at the 14:53 mark, but her attempt landed safely into the arms of Pawlowski.
 
Catawba finished with a 9-8 advantage in shot attempts in the half. Lincoln Memorial had a 4-3 edge in shots on goal, though.
 
The Lady Railsplitters continued to put pressure on the Indians' back line from the jump in the second half, as a 51st-minute free kick by Hedstrom from just outside of the box sailed well over the crossbar while a creative buildup produced an open look for Soall at the top of the box that was saved in the 54th minute.
 
While that pressure didn't immediately result in a goal, the Catawba defense finally caved at the 71:01 mark with a play set up almost entirely by Soall. The 5-6 senior recovered a loose ball at midfield and carried some space down the middle of the field with options on both sides. Upon arrival at the top of the box, Soall flicked a quick pass to her left to Caroline Souza (Sao Paulo, Brazil), who gave it right back to Soall with a back heel pass. Soall then won a brief battle for the ball and flipped it past the diving Pawlowski for her third goal of the season and first since September 23.
 
The Indians produced just two shots over the last 29 minutes of action, as Lincoln Memorial keeper Kayla Stephens (Keller, Texas) was forced into action in the 82nd minute, making a save on Alex Hulsey's shot to preserve the shutout. Stephens recorded a season-high six saves in the contest to notch her first clean slate of the year and improve to 1-2.
 
The Lady Railsplitters outshot the Indians 9-7 in the second half to finish with a narrow 17-16 edge for the match, which included an 8-6 cushion in shots on goal. Hedstrom, Soall and Olivia Thompson (Melbourne, Fla.) led the Lady Railsplitters with four shots apiece.
 
Emily Davis, meanwhile, led the Indians with three shots. Pawlowski had seven saves and slipped to 3-8 on the season.
 
Before the first touch in the LMU Soccer Complex and regular season finale, the Lady Railsplitters celebrated Senior Day with a ceremony to honor the careers of Morgan Brinson (Southlake, Texas), Sam Davis (Spring, Texas), Lauren Dusold (Spirit Lake, Iowa), Hedstrom, Krista Holka (Harrison Township, Mich.), Maddy Nagy (Viera, Fla.), Madison Rivard (Roanoke, Texas), Soall, Stephens and Thompson. The Senior Day ceremony was capped off with a special moment, as LMU men's soccer alum Dylan Burnett proposed to his longtime girlfriend Rivard, and she said yes to a rousing round of applause.
 
The Lady Railsplitters now prepare for the South Atlantic Conference Championship, which begins with Tuesday's quarterfinal round match at top-seeded Carson-Newman. That contest is set to get underway at 5 p.m., with the winner advancing to the semifinals of the SAC tournament in Rock Hill, S.C.