HICKORY, N.C. -- The Railsplitters (5-0-1, 2-0-1 SAC) wrap up a season-opening stretch that has taken them on the road for six of the first seven matches on Saturday when they travel to Hickory, N.C. for a 7 p.m. South Atlantic Conference battle against the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (4-1-1, 2-0 SAC).
 
No SAC team has been as overexposed to the road as Lincoln Memorial during the first month of the season, but the Railsplitters have stood up to that challenge by going 4-0-1 away from the LMU Soccer Complex. The Railsplitters currently sit atop the SAC standings with a 2-0-1 mark and, after Saturday's road trip, they play six of their last eight regular-season matches at home.
 
The Railsplitters took their first winless result of the 2015 season on Wednesday by playing Tusculum to a 1-1 double overtime stalemate. That's an outcome that Coach Helio D'Anna's team can surely live with given the circumstances of the match, though, as All-SAC defender Nathaniel Johnson (London, England) was issued a red card in the 44th minute and ejected from the game, forcing the Railsplitters to play a man down for over 65 minutes. Philip Wong (Hong Kong, China) tallied the opening marker in the 72nd minute, which was answered by Tusculum in the 78th minute. Goalkeeper Pedro Ozi (Sao Paulo, Brazil) made a season-high seven saves and kept the Pioneers out of the next for the remainder of regulation and the two overtime periods to secure the draw.
 
Wong joined Leonardo da Silva (Itajuba, Brazil) and George Burne (Carlisle, England) as Railsplitters with multiple goals this season, notching his second of the season at Tusculum. The Hong Kong, China native has scored twice on just six shot attempts.
 
The Railsplitters' goals against average moved to a miniscule 0.81 after Wednesday's match, which is the second-best mark in the SAC. Lincoln Memorial has held league opponents to 0.62 goals per match.
 
Lincoln Memorial will be looking to win six of the season's first seven matches since the 2006 squad started 12-0-2 before suffering its first loss. If he earns the victory, Ozi would be the program's first goalkeeper to be credited with six wins in his first seven starts since Brent Cole accomplished that feat in 2005.
 
Kickoff between the Railsplitters and Bears is set for 7 p.m. in Hickory, N.C. Live stats will be available via www.LMURailsplitters.com, while live updates can be followed at the official LMU athletics Twitter account (@LMURailsplitter).
 
Know the Opponent
 
Lenoir-Rhyne - 7 p.m. Live Stats
 
After Lincoln Memorial's draw, the Bears are one of two teams that are unbeaten or untied in South Atlantic Conference play, as they improved to 2-0 in the league with a 3-2 double overtime victory at Catawba on Wednesday. Lenoir-Rhyne carries a three-match winning streak into Saturday evening's bout, which is tied with Wingate for the longest current winning streak in the conference.
 
The Bears have produced goals with relative ease, especially in SAC play. Lenoir-Rhyne is ranked fourth in the league in goals per match average with 1.8 but lead the conference in per-match scoring in SAC contests with a gaudy 3.0 goals for average. The Bears have scored in all six of their matches with multiple goals in their last three outings despite averaging a slim 12.2 shots per game. L-R has surpassed 15 shots attempts in a match only once, doing so in a 3-2 win over Carson-Newman.
 
The Bears are carrying a 1.08 goals against average, which is the fourth-lowest mark in the SAC.
 
Sophomore Ismael Noumansana leads the L-R attack with four goals, 13 shots and nine shots on goal. Senior Ben Meredith has a pair of goals and an assist, while Leon Mueller-Wiesen has a goal and two assists to his credit. Mitch Botfield has contributed two assists in six appearances and five starts.
 
Freshman Benjamin Lundt started the first five matches in goal for the Bears, accumulating 17 saves, a .773 save percentage and a 1.16 goals against average, but exited Lenoir-Rhyne's recent win over Francis Marion after seven minutes. Sophomore Zach King replaced Lundt and has served as the Bears' keeper since then, compiling a 0.95 goals against average with five stops.
 
The Bears lost their only other home match of the season on September 5, dropping a 2-1 decision to Lander.
 
The Railsplitters own a 6-3-2 advantage in the all-time series against Lenoir-Rhyne, but the Bears have won the last two meetings. Lincoln Memorial dropped a 2-1 overtime thriller in Hickory in 2013 after Lenoir-Rhyne scored the game winner in the 97th minute. That match also saw the two teams score goals 22 seconds apart in the 85th minute. The Railsplitters lost a 2-1 decision in regulation in last season's meeting, as Mueller-Wiesen and Meredith scored for the Bears and Pedro Villa (New Braunfels, Texas) tallied for LMU.