KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Lincoln Memorial's 2017 season ended the only way it could as the Catawba Indians (7-9, 4-6 SAC) scored in the 100th minute to hand the Lady Railsplitters (7-10, 2-8 SAC) their sixth 1-0 loss of the season on Saturday night at the Samson Sports Complex.
 
The Lady Railsplitters needed a win or both Newberry and Coker to lose in the regular-season finale to earn the eighth and final spot in the South Atlantic Conference Championship. Coker did their part, but Newberry beat Lenoir-Rhyne 2-0 to claim the league's final postseason bid.
 
The two teams were locked in a scoreless standoff through the first 99 minutes on a cold and wet night in Knoxville. However, Catawba cashed in just seconds before the first overtime ended, as Erin Feldman won a battle for the ball up the near sideline, turned into the box and put a cross at the feet of Bailey Howell, who curled a shot into the lower left corner of the net to tally the golden goal.
 
The Indians' late goal spoiled a brilliant effort from sophomore goalkeeper Leanna Hendrix, who racked up a career-high 10 saves in the first start of her career. That was the most saves by an LMU keeper this season while the Lady Railsplitters' 12 total saves were the most since a 1-0 loss against Carson-Newman in October 2016.
 
Lincoln Memorial was handed its sixth 1-0 loss of the season – a program single-season record – and its seventh one-goal loss. In spite of that, the Lady Railsplitters battled through countless injuries to more than double their win total from the 2016 campaign, rebounding from a 3-10-2 season to go 7-10.
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Lady Railsplitters were outshot 29-9, which included a 13-5 margin in shots on goal.
 
- Lincoln Memorial had a couple of golden scoring opportunities. In the 75th minute, Mariana Diaz found herself in space and ripped a shot that was narrowly saved by Shelby Thompson, who had to extend all the way to her right to keep the Lady Railsplitters off the board. Isa Jara also had a breakaway chance with the final seconds expiring in regulation but the ball was deflected away before she could have a shot.
 
- Saturday's match marked the end of the careers of Patricia Roach, Melissa Carpenter, Palisa Chipendo and Khalia Rainey at Lincoln Memorial.