BANNER ELK, N.C. -- The Railsplitters (2-0) will vie for their second straight 3-0 start on Saturday afternoon as they travel to Banner Elk, N.C. for an NCAA Division II men's soccer showdown against the Lees-McRae Bobcats (2-1). Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Lawson Tate Field.
 
Lincoln Memorial opened the season with a 1-0 win over West Alabama, who entered that contest ranked No. 11 in the HeroSports.com preseason Division II rankings, and a 2-1 win versus Montevallo in Alabama this past weekend. That helped the Railsplitters start 2-0 for the second consecutive year and the third time since the 2012 campaign.
 
Despite having significantly more veterans on the offensive side of the field, it was the Railsplitters' defensive unit that shone brightest in allowing just one goal and seven shots on goal in two matches.
 
Junior goalkeeper Pedro Ozi (Sao Paulo, Brazil) proved himself capable of filling the void left by All-SAC netminder Marcel Barwanietz. Ozi posted a shutout with four saves against West Alabama, who averaged 2.44 goals per match last season and ranked 13th in the nation in scoring. His only blemish of the weekend was a 76th-minute header by Montevallo's Sergio Gonzalez.
 
Offensively, the Railsplitters got the production they needed from their veterans. Junior forward George Burne (Carlisle, England) scored the game-winner against the Tigers, while seniors Pedro Villa (New Braunfels, Texas) and Leonardo da Silva (Itajuba, Brazil) netted goals against Montevallo. Villa also assisted on da Silva's goal versus the Falcons.
 
Da Silva leads the Railsplitters in shots by a substantial margin with 11 attempts and seven shots on goal. Burne and Danilo da Silva (Campinas, Brazil) are the next highest shot producers with two apiece.
 
Fans can follow live updates of the match via the official LMU Athletics Twitter handle (@LMURailsplitter), where they can also join the conversation before, during and after the match using the hashtag #LMUMSOC.
 
Know the Opponent - Lees-McRae (3 p.m.) - Live Stats
 
Lees-McRae, who was selected sixth in the Conference Carolinas preseason poll, improved to 2-1 on Wednesday evening with a 3-2 win over Tusculum, the defending South Atlantic Conference tournament champion. Sophomore Thomas Deeley did all of the Bobcats' offensive damage, accounting for a hat trick with goals in the 64th, 84th and 86th minutes.
 
The Bobcats' only loss of the season was a 4-1 pounding at the hands of No. 13 St. Leo. Before that, they opened the 2015 campaign with a 2-0 shutout win over Florida Southern.
 
Deeley is leading the Bobcat offense, which has accounted for six goals through the team's first three matches, with three goals. He also leads the team with 12 shot attempts. Palle Jespersen, Maurice Kleinert and Pol Vassart have contributed a single goal apiece, while Jespersen ranks second on the team with five shots and four shots on goal.
 
Senior Gus Pederson started the first two matches in goal for Lees-McRae but sophomore Tyler Pavlet got the call in Wednesday's match at Tusculum, so the Railsplitters will have to prepare for either option. Both players have an even 2.00 goals against average but Pederson holds a slightly better save percentage with a .556 mark.
 
In addition to their two goalkeepers, the tone of the Bobcat defense is set by junior Marvyn Rieger, who was selected as an All-Conference Carolinas first team defender in 2014.
 
The all-time series between Lincoln Memorial and Lees-McRae is knotted at 3-3-1 but the Bobcats have won the last two matches in Banner Elk, defeating the Railsplitters 3-2 in 2013 and 2-1 in 2009. In fact, the Railsplitters have gone 0-3-1 in the four head-to-head encounters since the turn of the century. They have not defeated the Bobcats on their home turf since 1993.