HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Railsplitters (4-3, 1-2 SAC) will look to avoid their second straight home loss on Saturday afternoon, when they entertain the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (4-2-1, 1-1 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference men's soccer action at 3:30 p.m. at the LMU Soccer Complex.  
 
Schedule/Game Day Links
 
Saturday, September 24 vs. Lenoir-Rhyne (3:30pm) Live Stats / Video
 
Notes on the Railsplitters:
 
-Despite outshooting the 18th-ranked and undefeated Tusculum Pioneers 20-14 in the match and 14-5 in the second half, Lincoln Memorial was handed a 2-0 loss on Wednesday at the LMU Soccer Complex to fall below .500 in SAC play. The Railsplitters were facing a 1-0 deficit after the Pioneers scored in the 43rd minute and pressed forward late in the second half in search of the equalizer, but Tusculum scored a back-breaking goal off of a counterattack in the 76th minute to bury LMU in a two-goal hole with less than 15 minutes to play. Ultimately, the Railsplitters were shutout for the first time this season and handed their second straight loss.
-Lincoln Memorial has not lost three straight matches since ending the 2014 campaign with losses at Catawba, Wingate and Mars Hill.
-The Railsplitters lead the South Atlantic Conference in total shots with 111 and rank second in the league in shots per game with 15.9, but that hasn't been reflected in the scoring column, as Lincoln Memorial is eighth in the league in goals per game with 1.57. That is due in large part to a lack of quality chances, as only 41.4 percent of the Railsplitters' total shot attempts have landed on goal, the fourth-lowest mark in the league. LMU is second-to-last in the SAC in shot percentage with a .099 mark.
-Lincoln Memorial hopes to get its offense back on track with the return of All-SAC midfielder Henrique Rezek (Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil), who was forced to sit out the match against Tusculum after drawing two yellow cards in last weekend's trip to Queens. Rezek has accounted for a goal and an assist with seven shots in six appearances this season.
-The Railsplitters haven't lost two consecutive SAC matches at the LMU Soccer Complex since 2011, when they fell to Tusculum and No. 10 nationally-ranked Anderson. Lincoln Memorial dropped back-to-back "home" games to Wingate and Carson-Newman last season, but the Wingate match was hosted at Union College due to unplayable field conditions in Harrogate.
 
Notes on the Bears:
 
-Lenoir-Rhyne invades the LMU Soccer Complex pitch sporting a 4-2-1 overall record after cruising to a 3-0 win over Catawba on Wednesday. The Bears scored all three of their goals in the second half – tallying in the 51st, 71st and 84th minutes – to pace the win. The Railsplitters and Bears share one common opponent in Tusculum, who scored the game-winning goal in the 62nd minute to power a 2-1 win last Saturday.
-The Bears lead the SAC in total goals scored with 17 and are ranked fourth in goals per match with 2.43. Lenoir-Rhyne has been able to account for that mark despite logging just 15 shots per game, the sixth-lowest mark in the league. The Bears have been held scoreless just one time this season, a 2-0 loss at Limestone on September 10.
-L-R is led by one of the SAC's most potent offensive weapons in junior forward Ismael Noumansana, who leads the league with 13 points on a SAC-best six goals and one assist. In addition to Noumansana, Marc Fernandez has tallied two goals and four assists, while Devi Ndrita has scored three times. Romain Lopez ad Emil Tansinda have two goals apiece.
-Junior goalkeeper Zach King will be in net for the Bears as he has for the entirety of all seven matches this season. Over the course of 650 minutes of action, King has made 32 saves and allowed nine goals with a 1.25 goals against average. He is ranked fifth in the SAC in save percentage with a .780 mark.
-The Bears are 1-2 on the road this season with a 2-0 win over Lander as well as a 2-0 loss at Limestone and a 2-1 loss at Tusculum. In those three road trips, Lenoir-Rhyne has accounted for only one goal and 11.0 shots per match.   
 
Series History:
 
-The Railsplitters own a 7-3-2 mark all-time against Lenoir-Rhyne, but have lost two of the last three meetings, including a 2-1 setback the last time the two teams played at the LMU Soccer Complex in 2014. Lincoln Memorial did, however, defeat the Bears 3-2 last season in Hickory, N.C., as Pedro Villa tallied a brace to lead the charge. In five all-time meetings in Harrogate, Lincoln Memorial is 4-1 against L-R.