SALISBURY, N.C. -- The Catawba Indians scored the game-winning goal with 59 seconds left in regulation to hand the Railsplitters a 2-1 South Atlantic Conference loss in the regular-season finale on Friday evening in Salisbury, N.C.
 
Lincoln Memorial (10-6, 6-5 SAC) scored first in the 33rd minute, but Catawba tallied the equalizer shortly thereafter and won it late in regulation to deny the Railsplitters of a top-four SAC finish.
 
Instead, the Railsplitters will have to settle for the No. 5 seed for next week's SAC Championship. Lincoln Memorial will either head to Lenoir-Rhyne or Catawba for its quarterfinal-round match on Tuesday depending on the outcome of Saturday's L-R/Newberry match.
 
The Railsplitters and Indians finished with exactly 10 shots apiece, but Lincoln Memorial produced a 7-3 edge in shots on goal. However, it was Catawba that was able to make the most of its opportunities, scoring in the 37th and 90th minutes to power the victory.
 
Felipe Machado (Ribeirao Preto, Brazil) put the Railsplitters on the board first with a goal in the 33rd minute, as he headed home a cross from Victor Peres (Brasilia, Brazil). Peres' streak of five consecutive matches with a goal came to an end, but the sophomore striker did tally his fifth assist of the season to extend his point streak to seven straight matches.
 
It took less than three minutes for the Indians to answer, though, as Tim Frederick-Lange headed home a cross from Ian Orr in the 37th minute to draw the match even at 1-1.
 
The Railsplitters produced five shots on goal through the first 22 minutes of the second half, but were unable to break through against Catawba keeper Joe Gonzalez. The Indians didn't get their first shot on goal of the second half until Orr put one on target in the 84th minute.
 
That header was saved by LMU keeper August Ahlin (Stockholm, Sweden), but he was unable to stop the next one, as Orr finished off a through ball from Jack Pettett with 59 seconds left in regulation to seal Catawba's 2-1 win.
 
Danilo da Silva (Campinas, Brazil) led the Railsplitters with four shots and one shot on goal, while Peres had three shots, all of which landed on frame.
 
The loss was just LMU's second to Catawba since the start of the 2007 campaign, but the Railsplitters still lead the all-time series 12-7.
 
The South Atlantic Conference Championship begins with quarterfinal-round action on Tuesday, November 1. The Railsplitters will travel to either Lenoir-Rhyne or Catawba depending on the results of Saturday's matches. Stay tuned to www.LMURailsplitters.com for more information.