COLUMBUS, Ga. – The 2016 Lincoln Memorial men's soccer season officially commences this week as the Railsplitters travel to Columbus, Ga. to face a pair of Peach Belt Conference foes, squaring off against Montevallo in the season-opener on Thursday at 6 p.m. before turning around to face UNC Pembroke on Saturday at 11 a.m.
 
Schedule/Game Day Links
Tournament Central
 
Thursday, September 1 vs. Montevallo (6pm)
Saturday, September 3 vs. UNC Pembroke (11am)
 
Notes on the Railsplitters:
Preview with Coach Helio D'Anna on the Papa John's Splitter Sound Bites podcast
 
-The Railsplitters were selected third in South Atlantic Conference preseason coaches poll earlier this week, which would replicate their effort from the 2015 campaign, when LMU went 10-3-3 overall and 7-3-1 in league play. In addition to that, junior midfielder Henrique Rezek (Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil), Hisham Abdelaziz (Metairie, La.) and Danilo da Silva (Campinas, Brazil) were selected to the preseason All-SAC squad.
-Lincoln Memorial returns two of their top three point scorers from last season's team in da Silva and Rezek. Da Silva, who was an NSCAA All-Southeast Region first team pick and a finalist for the Male Athlete of the Year plaudit at the first-annual Lincoln Awards, tallied five goals and three assists on a team-leading 51 shots last season. Rezek, meanwhile, produced four goals and a team-leading four assists on 34 shot attempts.
-That duo will be joined in the attacking third by the return of senior George Burne (Carlisle, England), sophomore Philip Wong (Hong Kong, China) and sophomore Victor Peres (Brasilia, Brazil). Burne posted two goals and two assists, Wong notched three goals, and Peres had two goals last season.
-The Railsplitters brought in 10 new players in the offseason for the 2016 campaign, including four with experience at the college level in Andrea Cattaneo (Milan, Italy), Felipe Machado (Ribeirao Preto, Brazil), Andres Pratto (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and Diego Zannoni (Ferrara, Italy).
-Lincoln Memorial hasn't lost a season-opener since 2013, which was only the second season-opening loss for the Railsplitters since the start of the 2004 campaign. The Railsplitters knocked off West Alabama 1-0 in last year's first match in route to a 5-0 start. The year before that, LMU defeated Alabama-Huntsville 3-0 in Columbus, Ga.
 
Notes on the Falcons:
 
-Montevallo enters the 2016 campaign looking to bounce back from a forgettable 2015 season in which the Falcons went 6-10-1 overall and 3-5-1 in Peach Belt Conference play, finishing eighth in the final standings. It was the second-straight losing season for Montevallo, who last produced a winning record in 2013 (11-8). UM was predicted to make a slight improvement this season, as they were voted seventh in the PBC preseason poll.
-The Falcons struggled on both ends of the field last season, particularly on offense, where they accounted for just 1.29 goals per game and scored a mere 22 goals all season. On the other end, Montevallo surrendered an average of 1.7 goals per match, ranking seventh in the Peach Belt in that department. The Falcons were also foul prone, committing nearly 15 fouls per match, ranking near the bottom of the nation.
-Montevallo returns two of their three leading point scorers from last season in junior midfielder Josh Keller and senior defender Kevin Francis. Keller notched a team-high five goals on 26 shots and 12 shots on goal, while Francis scored three times on just 10 shot attempts.
-The Falcons will feature an exceptionally young roster this season, pairing four seniors with six juniors, four sophomores and 12 freshmen.
-The goalkeeper spot is up in the air for the Falcons. Yannic Horn started 15 of 17 matches last season, posting a 1.68 goals against average, but opted not to return for his junior season. That leaves senior John Evans as the only goalkeeper listed on the roster. He made two starts last season, logging 99:35 minutes of action. Over that span, he surrendered two goals and made three saves.
 
Notes on the Braves:
 
-Like Montevallo, UNC Pembroke struggled mightily last season, producing a 5-8-2 overall record and a 1-6-2 mark in PBC play, finishing in ninth place in the league. The Braves were 4-2-1 midway through the year, but went 1-6-1 over their final eight matches. UNC Pembroke was voted to replicate that finish in 2016, as the Braves were picked ninth in the PBC preseason poll.
-The Braves are entering their first season under the direction of head coach John Miglarese, who was hired as the program's eighth head coach in February. Miglarese, who boasts 16 years of collegiate coaching experience, transitions to UNC Pembroke after a three-year stint at King University. During his tenure in Bristol, Miglarese accumulated a 16-29-5 overall record and helped the Tornado make three trips to the Conference Carolinas tourney.
-Miglarese will be tasked with turning things around for a team that scored just 1.27 goals per game while allowing 1.74 markers per match last season. And he will have to do that with an incredibly young roster that is comprised of 18 underclassmen and just three upperclassmen.
-Jordan Walshaw, Branco Theis and Tyleer Santee highlight the list of returners for the Braves. Walshaw tied for the team lead in 2015 with 13 points, notching four goals and five assists on a team-best 44 shot attempts. Theis tallied three goals and an assist on 25 shots, while Santee picked up two goals and one assist in 14 appearances as a freshman.
-Redshirt-freshman Trenton Spigener and true freshman Lucas Gusmao will be vying for the starting goalkeeper role after last year's starter, Kenneth Perkinson, opted not to return for his junior season. Both Spigener and Gusmao are listed at 6-1, but Gusmao checks in at 25 points heavier that his counterpart (185-160).
 
Series History:
 
-The LMU-Montevallo series dates back to the 1995 season, and has been steeped in tradition since the two programs shared Gulf South Conference affiliation from 1996-2005. All time, the Falcons lead the series 12-7-2, but the Railsplitters have dominated of late, going 5-0-1 against Montevallo since an NCAA Tournament clash in 2005. Those matches have been anything but one-sided, though, as all six have been decided by one goal.
-Lincoln Memorial defeated the Falcons 2-1 last season in Montevallo, Ala., as the Railsplitters doubled Montevallo's shot output 10-5.
-The Railsplitters haven't faced UNC Pembroke in more than 25 years, as the last meeting came during the 1990 campaign. The Braves won that contest 6-3, but that was merely payback for LMU's 3-1 win the year before. Those represent the only two meetings between the two programs.