HARROGATE, Tenn. -- The Carson-Newman Eagles (7-2-1, 4-2 SAC) tallied a quick-strike goal near the end of the first half and made that lead hold up in a 2-1 win over the Railsplitters (6-2-1, 3-2-1 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference men's soccer action on Wednesday at the LMU Soccer Complex.
 
Lincoln Memorial, who had gone without a loss through its first seven matches of the season, fell for the second consecutive match and lost to Carson-Newman for the first time since 2012. With the win, the Eagles improve to 12-16-1 in the two programs' all-time series and take over sole possession of second place in the SAC standings, while the Railsplitters slip into third place.
 
The Eagles grabbed the lead in the 21st minute when an LMU defender was called for a foul while attempting to make a sliding tackle in the box. Sindre Welo capitalized on that opportunity by driving home the penalty kick.
 
From the 29th minute on, the Railsplitters began to pressure the Eagles defensively, manufacturing a good look for Nick Spielman (Melbourne, Fla.) and a corner kick. That pressure finally caved the Carson-Newman back line in the 33rd minute as Yinka Lawal (Bromley, England) flicked a pass to Leonardo da Silva (Itajuba, Brazil), who ripped in the game-tying score for his fifth marker of the season.
 
As the end of the first half approached, a brief let-up from the Lincoln Memorial defense opened the door for the Eagles, as a long pass from Stuart Oliver set up a breakaway run for Tom Read, who finished off the 44th-minute goal that proved to be the game winner.
 
The Railsplitters very nearly went down by two goals later in the second half, but LMU keeper Pedro Ozi (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and company knocked out a pair of close-range shots in the 58th and 59th minutes to keep the deficit at one.
 
Lincoln Memorial had a number of chances to get the equalizer late, with the best look coming in the 82nd minute on a shot at the top of the box from Lucas Coro (Ribeirao Preto, Brazil) that squeaked right over the top of the crossbar. In addition to that, the Railsplitters landed three shots on goal in the final 28 minutes of action, but all three were turned away.
 
Carson-Newman narrowly edged the Railsplitters in shot attempts 16-14 and shots on goal 6-5. Leonardo da Silva and Danilo da Silva (Campinas, Brazil) paced LMU with three shots apiece.
 
Ozi made three saves and allowed two goals over 90 minutes of action, while his counterpart, Kavi Luchowa, made four saves with a goal allowed over that same span.
 
The Railsplitters will look to avoid a three-match losing streak on Saturday when they host the Newberry Wolves in SAC action at 3:30 p.m.