GREENEVILLE, Tenn. -- Two of the South Atlantic Conference's elite defensive teams collide on Wednesday evening when the undefeated Railsplitters (5-0, 2-0 SAC) pay the Tusculum Pioneers (4-1, 1-0 SAC) a visit for an NCAA Division II men's soccer slugfest. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. in Greeneville, Tenn.  
 
Lincoln Memorial secured the program's best start since 2005 and won its seventh straight home opener on Saturday by quieting the Queens Royals in a 2-1 overtime thriller. The Railsplitters struck first when George Burne (Carlisle, England) scored in the 32nd minute, but the Royals knotted it up on Luis Campos's 67th-minute marker. Less than two minutes into the first overtime period, Victor Peres (Brasilia, Brazil), who made his first appearance of the contest in the 89th minute, knocked in the game winner off of a deflection in the box. That moved Lincoln Memorial to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in SAC play.  
 
Peres became the sixth different player to score a goal for the Railsplitters in five matches this season, which is nearly the same number of goal scorers the team produced in 2014, when nine players found the back of the net over a 16-match span.
 
Lincoln Memorial's defensive unit submitted another brilliant performance against Queens, holding their opponent to a goal or less for the fourth time in five appearances. The Railsplitters, who are ranked second in the SAC and 28th in the nation with a 0.80 goals against average, have allowed just 49 total shots and 21 shots on goal this season. By contrast, the Railsplitter offense has produced 75 shots and 38 shots on target.
 
The Railsplitters will be looking to improve to 3-0 in SAC play for the first time since the 2011 season, when they won their first five league contests and eventually made a trip to the title match of the SAC tournament. Coincidentally, it was Tusculum that ended LMU's perfect SAC start that season, knocking off the Railsplitters 3-2 in overtime in Harrogate.
 
With a win, Lincoln Memorial would become just the third team in program history to start its season with six consecutive wins, joining the 2004 and 2005 teams in achieving that distinction.
 
Senior striker Leonardo da Silva (Itajuba, Brazil) has recorded at least four shots on goal in three of LMU's five matches this season. The Brazilian leads the SAC in shots with 30 while ranking second in the nation in shots on goal per game with a ridiculous 3.40. Da Silva's season point total moved to seven, the fifth-best mark in the league, in Saturday's win over Queens, as he assisted on Burne's goal.
 
Live stats will be available for Wednesday's match via www.LMURailsplitters.com. Updates will also be available at the LMU athletics Twitter page (@LMURailsplitter), where fans can join the conversation using the hashtag #LMUMSOC.
 
Know the Opponent
 
Tusculum - 4:30 p.m. Live Stats   
 
The defending South Atlantic Conference tournament champion Pioneers are off to a solid start to the 2015 season with a 4-1 record that includes a 1-0 mark in SAC play. Tusculum enters Wednesday's meeting following shutout wins over both Barton and Queens.
 
The Pioneers and Railsplitters share two common opponents, as Tusculum lost a 3-2 decision to Lees-McRae and beat Queens 2-0 in its SAC opener, while Lincoln Memorial topped the Bobcats 3-2 and defeated the Royals 2-1 in overtime.
 
Tusculum is among the top-50 nationally in scoring offense and defense. The Pioneers are listed in the top-3 of the South Atlantic Conference in goals (12), shots per match (15.6) and shot percentage (.154) while ranking 39th in the NCAA Division II in scoring (2.40). Defensively, they are third in the SAC and 48th in the nation with a 1.00 goals against average. Their 60 percent shutout rate is the eighth-best mark in the country.
 
Cody Kammerzell and Andreas Kvam lead the Pioneers offensive attack with two goals apiece, while Todd Fidler is tied with that pair for the team lead in points with a goal and two assists to his credit. Along with those three, seven different Tusculum players have accounted for a goal.
 
Junior goalkeeper Jorge Alvarez has played all 450 minutes for the Pioneers this season, posting a 1.00 goals against average with five total goals allowed and 18 saves. Alvarez started last season's meeting against the Railsplitters, making four saves over 110 minutes of action.
 
The Railsplitters own a 12-10-3 advantage in the all-time series against the Pioneers, which has featured a number of high-stakes matches since the initial meeting in 1989. Lincoln Memorial has won eight of the last 11 outings including the last three in Greeneville, Tenn. The Railsplitters and Pioneers played to a 1-1 draw in last season's meeting. Nathaniel Johnson (London, England) accounted for LMU's goal in that contest.