HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Lady Railsplitters netted their first win of the season by defeating Brevard 1-0 in the South Atlantic Conference opener on a hot and muggy Wednesday afternoon at the LMU Soccer Complex.  
 
Lincoln Memorial (1-3, 1-0 SAC), who had yet to lead a match this season prior to Wednesday's contest, got a spectacular goal from freshman forward Kaitlyn Tisch (Tacoma, Wash.) and kept the Tornados (3-1, 0-1 SAC) on their heels the rest of the way to snap a three-match losing streak and hand Brevard its first loss of the 2016 campaign.
 
After opening with three straight losses against some difficult, nationally-ranked competition, LMU was ready to reset the season with the start of SAC play. The unbeaten Tornados were first on the docket, and Brevard entered Wednesday's contest having scoring nine goals in its previous three appearances while not allowing a goal defensively.
 
In spite of the contrast in record, the Lady Railsplitters controlled the possession and passing lanes throughout the first half, holding Brevard to four total shots without a corner kick. On the offensive side, Lincoln Memorial tallied 12 shots, with three landing on goal.
 
The Lady Railsplitters nearly scored in the 18th minute, as junior midfielder Melissa Carpenter (Jacksonville, Fla.) streaked into the 18-yard box and ripped a right-footed shot just past Brevard keeper Elise Youmans. However, the left post would deny Carpenter's shot and keep the match scoreless.
 
Lincoln Memorial didn't have to wait long after that for a breakthrough, though, as Tisch took a beautiful pass up the center from sophomore midfielder Alyssa Berry (St. Joseph, Mich.), dribbled into the box, faked out the Brevard defender with a double move and fired a shot past Youmans into the back of the net. The 24th-minute goal, which was only the second goal converted by the Lady Railsplitters this season and first since the season opener against Bellarmine, was Tisch's first career score.
 
The second half mirrored the first, as Lincoln Memorial continued to hold advantage in possession, movement and passing lanes. Brevard withstood a flurry of shots from LMU attackers throughout the final 45 minutes, as Tisch, Berry and sophomore forward Palisa Chipendo (Brighton, England) each had multiple chances to add to the lead.
 
Perhaps the best chance of the second half came in the 66th minute, when sophomore Caroline Souza (Sao Paulo, Brazil) had a free kick glance off the crossbar after a Brevard handball occurred just outside of the box.
 
LMU faced sporadic attacks from Brevard in the closing minutes, but none would come close to evening the scoresheet, as the Lady Railsplitters tidied up the 1-0 triumph.
 
The Lady Railsplitters got solid outings from goalkeepers Kathryn Lundy (Pinckney, Mich.) and Brooke Taylor (White Pine, Tenn.). Lundy played the first half and logged three saves, while Taylor tacked on two saves of her own over the final 45 minutes to preserve Lincoln Memorial's first shutout of the season.
 
Overall, Lincoln Memorial led almost every statistical category. The Lady Railsplitters outshot the Tornados 23-9, with nine of their 23 attempts landing on target. LMU also led in corner kick chances 5-1. The only category Brevard bested Lincoln Memorial in was saves, as the Tornados had eight compared to LMU's five.
 
The 1-0 victory pushes the all-time series to 10-0 in favor of the Lady Railsplitters in what may be the final meeting between the two programs, as Brevard – one of the newest SAC members - is in the midst of a transition to the NCAA Division III.
 
LMU resumes action on Saturday, September 17, as they head to Charlotte, N.C. to face the Queens Royals in SAC action beginning at 2 p.m. Live stats and video links will be available at www.LMURailsplitters.com.