MARS HILL, N.C. -- The Railsplitters (8-4, 4-3 SAC) begin a closing stretch that will see them play three of their final four regular-season matches on the road on Wednesday, traveling to Mars Hill, N.C. to battle the Mars Hill Lions (5-8, 3-5 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference men's soccer action. Lincoln Memorial will be looking for its fourth straight win, while Mars Hill is trying to snap a two-game losing streak.
 
Schedule/Game Day Links
 
Wednesday, October 19 at Mars Hill (7:30pm) Live Stats / Video
 
Notes on the Railsplitters:
Papa John's Splitter Sound Bites podcast with Coach D'Anna
 
-The Railsplitters extended their winning streak to three games on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over the Coker Cobras at the LMU Soccer Complex. Lincoln Memorial scored two goals in the first 25 minutes of action, but had to survive a late surge to improve to 4-3 in SAC play. Ronaldo de Jesus (Campinas, Brazil) and Victor Peres (Brasilia, Brazil) accounted for the two LMU goals, notching their third and fourth goals of the season, respectively.
 
-With four matches left in the regular season, the Railsplitters are in fifth place in the SAC standings. No. 4 Wingate  (8-0) leads the league, while No. 7 Tusculum (7-0) is just a game back of the Bulldogs in second place. Wingate and Tusculum are the last two remaining unbeaten or untied teams in the nation. Lenoir-Rhyne is in third place at 5-2-1, while Catawba is a game ahead of the Railsplitters at 5-2.
 
-Danilo da Silva (Campinas, Brazil) leads the Railsplitters with 17 points this season on six goals and five assists. The junior striker has a point in three straight matches and four of his last five dating back to an assist against Lenoir-Rhyne on September 24. He is ranked third in the SAC in shots with 58 and fifth in points.
 
-Along with helping power a defense that is allowing just 1.16 goals per game, de Jesus has scored three goals on just 12 shots this season, good for a .250 shot percentage, which is the 28th-best mark in the SAC. The freshman defender has scored in two of his last three games, including the game-winner against Lees-McRae.
 
-Lincoln Memorial is 2-2 on the road this season - wins at Young Harris and Newberry and losses at Queens and Wingate. Statistically speaking, the Railsplitters have seen a slight drop-off outside of the LMU Soccer Complex. At home, LMU is averaging 2.33 goals per and allowing just 0.83. On the road, the Railsplitters are scoring 1.50 goals per match and allowing 1.48.
 
-The Railsplitters are vying for their second four-game winning streak of the season, as they defeated UNC Pembroke, Southern Wesleyan, Young Harris and Brevard in succession from September 3-14.
 
Notes on the Lions:
 
-Mars Hill has lost four of its five matches in the month of October, including consecutive losses at Lander (5-0) and Tusculum (2-1). Over that span, the Lions have been outscored by a combined total of 13-3. In Friday's loss at Tusculum, Mars Hill relinquished goals in the 77th and 86th minutes before checking into the scoring column with 52 seconds left in regulation.
 
-The Lions have been one of the worst offensive teams in the league this season, ranking near the bottom of the conference in goals scored (16), shots per game (10.2), assists (11), corner kicks (49) and goals per game (1.23). Mars Hill has been shutout four times this season, including three of their last five appearances on the pitch.
 
-Freshman Franck Lannaud leads the Lions with five goals on 19 shots and 10 shots on goal, while sophomore Ian Wu has compiled three goals and two assists on a team-best 21 shot attempts. Stian Sanner and Oscar Mitchell have tallied two goals apiece, while Sanner has also added two assists.
 
-The Lions are the third-worst defensive team in the SAC, allowing 2.06 goals per game. For the season, Mars Hill has been outscored 27-16 and outshot 184-132.
 
-Freshman Kristopher Wennin and junior Ben Lucas have both appeared in at least six matches at goalkeeper for the Lions this season. Wennin has played the bulk of the minutes, logging 40 saves, a 2.25 goals against average and a .702 save percentage over 680 minutes of work. Lucas has made 21 saves and posted a 1.80 goals against average over nearly 500 minutes of work.
 
-Mars Hill is 1-6 on the road this season, but 4-2 at home. In their last home appearance, the Lions knocked off Queens 2-1 on October 7. The Railsplitters were defeated by the Royals in overtime in Charlotte.
 
Series History:
 
-The LMU-Mars Hill series is nearly dead even, as the Lions hold a narrow 11-10-1 all-time lead since 1992. The Railsplitters dominated the early meetings, winning 10 of the first 15 matches outright. However, Mars Hill has won eight of the last nine meetings, including seven straight dating back to 2010.
 
-The Railsplitters are 3-6-1 in Mars Hill and haven't won there since notching a 1-0 victory in 2009. Since then, Lincoln Memorial has lost four straight road matches in the series and been outscored by a combined 9-2 margin.
 
-The Railsplitters lost a heartbreaking 1-0 decision to Mars Hill last season at the LMU Soccer Complex. Lincoln Memorial lost despite outshooting the Lions 26-8 and mustering a 6-3 edge in shots on goal. Sanner scored the lone goal of the contest in the 72nd minute.