ROCK HILL, S.C. -- A spot in the title game of the South Atlantic Conference Championship is on the line Friday as the third-seeded Railsplitters (10-3-2) face the second-seeded and No. 23 nationally-ranked Wingate Bulldogs (13-3-2) in semifinal round action at Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, S.C. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to play either Carson-Newman or Queens for the league championship on Sunday afternoon.
 
Lincoln Memorial advanced past the sixth-seeded Tusculum Pioneers and into the semifinals of the SAC tournament in absolutely stunning fashion on Tuesday at the LMU Soccer Complex. The Railsplitters trailed 1-0 after Dominic McLaren's 61st-minute goal, and that's where the score stood until the dramatic final seconds when Nick Spielman (Melbourne, Fla.) scored the game-tying goal with 1.1 seconds left in regulation. After the two 10-minute overtime periods past without consequence, the Railsplitters then went on to claim a 5-3 penalty kick shootout victory and punch their ticket to Rock Hill.
 
The Railsplitters are heading back to Rock Hill for the fourth time in the last five seasons as they look to make their first appearance in the SAC tournament title game since 2012, when Lincoln Memorial dropped a heartbreaking 1-0 decision to Anderson. The Railsplitters advanced into the semifinal round via a penalty kick shootout for the second time in three seasons. They defeated Coker 4-2 in a PK shootout in the quarterfinals of the 2013 league tournament.
 
Wingate solidified its spot in the SAC tournament semifinals with significantly less drama, notching a fairly dominant 2-0 win over the seventh-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne Bears on Tuesday in Wingate, N.C. The Bulldogs outshot the Bears 16-10 with a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal and tallied in the 49th and 69th minutes to pace the victory.
 
The Railsplitters haven't beaten the Bulldogs since the 2011 season with four consecutive losses in the series, a stretch that includes a gut-wrenching 2-1 setback back on October 4 at Williamson Field on the campus of Union College.
 
In a battle of two unbeaten teams, the Railsplitters struck first on a goal by Spielman at the 2:07 mark and then caught a break when Wingate's Garret Bridgewater was red carded in the 46th minute. But Gadsby scored twice after the red card was issued to help the Bulldogs pull off the victory, tallying the go-ahead goal off of a free kick in the 78th minute. Gadsby was given the opportunity to try the free kick twice after the first attempt was blown dead on William Siu's (Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil) red card, which drew the playing field back even, and he converted the second attempt.
 
Lincoln Memorial and Wingate are meeting in postseason action for the first time since the opening round of the 2007 NCAA tournament, a match the Railsplitters won 2-1 in route to making an appearance in the National Championship game.
 
Wingate started the season 10-0-2 and ascended as high as No. 7 in the NSCAA national rankings, but lost three of its last five regular season matches, including a 1-0 double overtime loss to Tusculum that denied the Bulldogs the outright SAC regular season title. Instead, Wingate had to settle for a co-championship and the tournament's No. 2 seed by virtue of a 4-1 loss at Carson-Newman. 
 
The Bulldogs led the conference with five All-SAC first team selections, including forward Jon Ander, who was named SAC Player of the Year, and goalkeeper Pablo Jara, who was tabbed as the SAC Freshman of the Year. Wingate also claimed two of the SAC's four All-SAC first team midfielders in Gadsby and Aksel Juul.
 
Ander led the SAC in scoring this season with 10 goals, three assists, 68 shots and 39 shots on goal while Juul produced five goals, nine assists, 54 shots and 20 shots on goal. Gadsby accounted for five goals with eight assists. Callum Ross (6) and Charlie Machell (7) combined for 13 goals to bolster the Bulldogs' offensive attack.
 
Jara finished tops among SAC goalkeepers with a 0.81 goals against average and eight clean slates, combining that with an .800 save percentage, 60 saves and a 13-3-2 record.
 
The Bulldogs pair a dominant defense with a high-octane offense, as they lead the SAC and rank 26th in the nation in goals against average by allowing a mere 0.81 goals per match. Additionally, Wingate is ranked 45th in the country in scoring offense with 2.06 goals per game.
 
Wingate went to the second round of the NCAA tournament last season. In 2012, the Bulldogs won the NCAA Southeast Regional to earn a spot in the Elite Eight.
 
Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in Rock Hill, S.C. Live stat and video links will be available via www.LMURailsplitters.com, the comprehensive online home of Lincoln Memorial University athletics.

Quick Hits
The Railsplitters are still firmly in contention for a berth to the NCAA tournament, sitting in seventh in the final Southeast Region rankings. The top six teams in the final region poll, which will be released at the conclusion of the SAC tournament, earn bids to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional...Wingate is two spots ahead of the Railsplitters in fifth in the poll...LMU is 2-8 all-time against Wingate and has lost all three meetings in which the Bulldogs were ranked