HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Railsplitters (4-4, 0-2 SAC) look to snap a three-game losing streak and pick up their first South Atlantic Conference win of the season on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. when they host the 16th-ranked Queens Royals (5-2, 3-0 SAC) at the LMU Lacrosse Complex. Lincoln Memorial will be trying to rebound from a 14-7 loss to Wingate last Saturday, while Queens extended its winning streak to three last Wednesday with a 14-4 win at Brevard.
Schedule/Gameday Links:
Saturday, March 25 vs. No. 16 Queens (3:30pm) –
Live Stats /
Video
Quick Hits:
-The Railsplitters started slow and saw their fourth-quarter woes continue in the loss to Wingate. Lincoln Memorial fell into a 5-0 hole before finally scoring with 30 seconds left in the first quarter. The Railsplitters closed to within three early in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs ended the match with a 4-0 flurry to drop LMU to 0-2 in SAC play.
-Freshman
Robert Tucker (Wantagh, N.Y.) had the best performance of his young career against the Bulldogs, producing a career-best three goals on seven shots and four shots on goal.
Kyle Arcuri (Patchogue, N.Y.) was the only other player with multiple goals for LMU, scoring two on three shots.
Adam Golia (Victoria, British Columbia) was held to one goal on only one shot while turning the ball over a team-high four times.
-The Railsplitters are combining to outscore their opponents 54-34 in the second and third quarters, but have been outscored by a combined 54-41 in the first and fourth quarters. Lincoln Memorial has been outscored 13-3 in the fourth quarter during its three-match losing streak.
-Lincoln Memorial has been solid at the face-off x in its two SAC contests. The Railsplitters have a 47.1 face-off winning percentage for the season, but that number jumps to 60.4 percent in league play. Freshman
Hunter Clark (Marietta, Ga.) is 27-for-48 at the face-off against SAC foes, while
Josh Hernandez (Middletown, N.Y.) is a perfect 5-for-5.
-Senior goalie
Joe Medel (Virginia Beach, Va.) had a nice bounce-back effort against Wingate. After allowing 13 goals on a career-worst 31.6 save percentage against Catawba, Medel made 14 saves on 28 shots on goal. He was under siege from the start, as the Bulldogs launched 48 shots – the second-most by an LMU opponent this season.
-The Railsplitters continue to lead the SAC in caused turnovers with 95. Hernandez has produced a SAC-leading 25 caused turnovers already this season.
-Lincoln Memorial couldn't have asked for a much tougher start to SAC play, as the first three opponents, including Queens, are a combined 7-2 in the league.
Notes on the Royals:
-Queens' only two losses this season have come against teams ranked in the top 15 nationally. The Royals opened the 2017 campaign with a 14-9 loss to No. 14 Tampa and also suffered a 14-6 setback against No. 5 Belmont Abbey.
-The Railsplitters share two common opponents with the Royals in Florida Southern and Catawba. Lincoln Memorial lost to Florida Southern 9-7 and Catawba 13-12, while Queens beat those two schools by a combined total of 30-14. The Royals also have SAC wins over Mars Hill and Brevard.
-The Royals are averaging 11.67 goals and 46 shots per game in SAC play. In addition to that, Queens is allowing a league-low 5.00 goals per game against SAC opponents.
-Freshman Justin Swick has made an instant impact for the Royals, as he leads the team in points (22) and goals (17). Sophomore Garrett Sadler has produced 11 goals and six assists with a team-leading 49 shots, while freshmen Reed Murphy and Duncan Smith has combined for 21 goals and seven assists. Sophomores Jesse Oliver and Griffin Stechmiller has 10 points apiece.
-Sophomore Anthony Caruso has started all seven matches in goal for the Royals, and is ranked second in the SAC in goals against average with a stingy 7.69 clip. He also ranks fifth in save percentage (53.1) and first in total goals against (46).
-The Royals have caused 41 turnovers in just SAC matches – an average of well over 12 per game. Queens had a season-high 18 caused turnovers in an 8-5 win at Mars Hill on March 11.
Series History:
-The Railsplitters have yet to beat Queens in their two seasons of existence. Lincoln Memorial suffered a nail-biting 9-6 loss in Harrogate during the inaugural 2015 campaign, but last season's meeting was a much more one-sided affair with Queens winning 20-8.
-In last season's match in Charlotte, the Royals opened on a 6-1 run and closed with a 9-2 spurt to complete their wire-to-wire win over the Railsplitters. Golia had four goals and an assist to lead LMU, while Sadler paced the Royals with five goals.
