HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The Lincoln Memorial men's soccer program (6-1-1, 3-1-1 SAC) will look to rebound from its first loss of the season on Wednesday afternoon with a South Atlantic Conference showdown against the Carson-Newman Eagles (6-2-1, 3-2 SAC), set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff at the LMU Soccer Complex.
 
A couple of promotional events will be taking place in conjunction with Wednesday's match. Fans are invited and encouraged to bring their dogs out the LMU Soccer Complex for Bark in the Park, sponsored by the LMU Athletic Department and the LMU School of Veterinarian Science. Treats, prizes and other giveaways will be available for the dogs in attendance. Also, LMU Residence Life will be hosting a cookout with tailgate-style games from 1 to 6 p.m. Attendance is completely free of charge to all home soccer matches.
 
The Railsplitters missed a major opportunity on Sunday when they "hosted" the 16th-ranked Wingate Bulldogs at Union College's Williamson Stadium. After taking a 1-0 lead on a Nick Spielman (Melbourne, Fla.) goal two minutes into the match and then seeing a Wingate player get red carded early in the second half, two costly breakdowns brought the Railsplitters' unbeaten streak to an abrupt halt.
 
Just 39 seconds after Wingate's Garret Bridgewater was sent off the pitch with a red card, the Railsplitters turned the ball over in the Bulldogs' offensive zone, scrambled to find their marks and relinquished the equalizer in the 47th minute. In the 78th minute, a direct ball up the right-hand sideline and a subsequent foul gave the Bulldogs a direct free kick from just outside of the box. The Bulldogs' first attempt was blocked by the Railsplitters' wall, but William Siu (Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil) was red carded before the whistle was blown. Wingate got to retry the kick as a result and Shaun Gadsby curled in the second attempt to clinch the match for the Bulldogs.
 
With the loss, the Railsplitters slipped into a two-way tie for second place in the SAC standings at 3-1-1 in league play.
 
It's vital that Lincoln Memorial gets a positive result on Wednesday to avoid a feeling of déjà vu from last season when they started 4-0-1, suffered a tough 2-1 loss at Mars Hill and ultimately faltered with a 3-6-2 record down the stretch. A win would also boost the Railsplitters chances of capturing the SAC title, as Sunday's loss dropped them five points back of Wingate for the top spot.
 
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at the LMU Soccer Complex. Live stat and video links are available at www.LMURailsplitters.com, while fans can also follow the match via the official LMU Athletics Twitter account (@LMURailsplitter).
 
Know the Opponent
 
Carson-Newman - 3:30 p.m. Live Stats | Video
 
The Eagles are certainly on form heading into Wednesday's match with wins in four of their last five matches and a 24-13 scoring edge against their opponents over the course of the season. That point disparity is the second-largest in the conference, trailing only Wingate's 14-point spread.
 
Carson-Newman had won four matches in a row until Anderson exploded for three goals over a 12-minute span in the first half to snap that winning streak with a 3-2 win in Spartanburg, S.C. on Saturday.
 
The Eagles boast the most productive offense in the South Atlantic Conference, leading the league in goals scored (24), goals per match average (2.7) and shot percentage (.180). They have scored multiple goals in all but one of their nine matches this season, and that one time was a 1-1 draw against USC Aiken.
 
Defensively, C-N has surrendered 13 goals and 1.41 per match, ranking fourth in the SAC in that category.
 
The explosive Eagles offense has been characterized by its balance, as seven different players have accounted for multiple goals so far this season. Thibault Mathorez and Nick Skoda led the team with four goals apiece, while Lucas Siqueira, Marius Staalby and Sindre Welo have tallied three goals apiece. Polymnios Avgousti and Jules Gabbiadini have posted two goals apiece. Bruno Andrade leads the Eagles, who have 17 assists as a team, with four helpers. 
 
Senior goalkeeper Kavi Luchowa has started all nine of the Eagles' matches and made 39 saves over that span, which is the second-highest total in the SAC. He is carrying a 1.45 goals against average and a .750 save percentage, but those numbers dip to 2.32 and .686 in SAC contests. The Railsplitters should be familiar with Luchowa, as he made seven saves in last season's meeting.
 
Wednesday marks the 31st all-time meeting between Lincoln Memorial and Carson-Newman, and the Railsplitters hold a 16-11-3 advantage in the series. Lincoln Memorial won the most recent meeting in Harrogate, defeating the Eagles 3-2 in 2013, but the two teams played to a 2-2 draw in last season's match. Pedro Villa (New Braunfels, Texas) scored a goal in that contest in the 64th minute, which briefly gave the Railsplitters a 2-1 lead, but Carson-Newman tallied the equalizer just five minutes and 44 seconds later.