HARROGATE, Tenn. -- Just days after a suffering a heartbreaking double overtime loss, the Lincoln Memorial University men's lacrosse team (1-7, 0-5 SAC) will face one of its toughest challenges of the season as the Queens Royals (4-5, 3-1 SAC) stroll into the LMU Lacrosse Complex for a 3 p.m. South Atlantic Conference collision on Saturday.
 
The Railsplitters came within minutes of ending a five-game losing streak and grabbing the first league victory in program history in Tuesday's meeting with Tusculum. After falling into a 5-3 hole with three minutes left in the third period, Dylan Neisler (Detroit, Mich.) fueled a 4-1 LMU run by scoring three goals in less than two minutes to stake the Railsplitters to a 7-6 lead at the end of three. The Railsplitters maintained that lead until Ben Boyd stunned the home team and evened the match with just 3:09 remaining in regulation. Tusculum then went on to win with a decisive goal 10 seconds into double overtime.
 
It marked the third time this season that Lincoln Memorial has lost by only a single goal, and it was the fifth time in the Railsplitters' seven losses in which the final margin has been fewer than four goals.
 
While Lincoln Memorial's offense has been stagnant at times, Neisler has been on an absolute tear in his last three appearances, combining for nine goals over that span. Neisler posted a career-high five goals at Wingate two weeks ago, pitched in another goal at Catawba last weekend and scored three goals in the nail biting loss to Tusculum. Neisler has tallied multiple goals three times this season, as the Detroit, Mich. native leads the Railsplitters in both goals (13) and points (16).
 
Neisler and the rest of the Railsplitters will be faced with a daunting challenge on Saturday against the defending South Atlantic Conference regular season and tournament champions, the Queens Royals, who are noted as the No. 12 ranked team in the nation according the LaxPower Tournament Selection Index (TSI).
 
Queens enters Saturday's match with a misleading 4-5 record, as four of their five losses have come against teams ranked inside the top 15 of the USILA Coaches Poll. The Royals opened the season with losses to No. 9 Tampa and No. 5 LIU Post, while also suffering midseason losses to top-ranked Limestone and No. 13 Mercyhurst. The Royals were 3-0 in SAC play until Lenoir-Rhyne knocked them from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 10-9 win on Wednesday.
 
Queens is averaging 9.89 goals per game, but that number jumps to 13.5 in South Atlantic Conference play. The Royals are recording a league-leading 29.4 shots per games while boasting the SAC's best man-up offense, as they have scored 23 man-up goals on 42 chances. 64.5 percent of Queens' shots on goal find the back of the net, ranking third in the SAC in shots on goal percentage. Defensively, Queens has allowed 9.5 goals per game in SAC play.
 
The Royals are averaging nearly two goals less per game than last season, and that has largely been a product of reigning SAC Player of the Year Garrett Chan's slow start. Chan exploded onto the scene last year, leading the league with 46 goals and ranking second in points with 56. While he's still having a nice season, Chan has been limited to 13 goals and 10 assists in his first nine appearances of his junior campaign.
 
Seniors Evan Farkas and Casey Hock are leading the way for the Royals, as Farkas has piled up 22 goals and 12 assists, while Hock has scored 15 goals and handed out 13 helpers. Jonathan Paige has grabbed a team-leading 54 ground balls and served as the primary faceoff guy, going 88-for-137 on those opportunities.
 
LMU's Joe Medel (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Queens' Eric Dolan will oppose one another in net. Medel leads the SAC in goals against average with an 8.85 mark and ranks second in save percentage with a 56.6 percent mark. Dolan has allowed 8.92 goals per game in SAC play and made 108 saves over the course of the season.
 
First faceoff between the Railsplitters and Royals is set for 3 p.m. at the LMU Lacrosse Complex. Live stats will be available for that contest through www.LMURailsplitters.com.

Live Stats