GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – The Railsplitters (8-6, 4-4 SAC) will make their first-ever postseason appearance on Tuesday when they face the Tusculum Pioneers (10-3, 6-2 SAC) in the opening round of the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Championship at 7 p.m. at Pioneer Park. The winner of that contest advances to face second-seeded Wingate on Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
 
Six-seeded Lincoln Memorial is riding high into the SAC tournament, as the Railsplitters won three of their last four regular-season matches, capped off by an 11-9 win at Coker on Saturday. Three-seeded Tusculum had a chance to earn the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye, but suffered a 10-9 loss to Wingate on Saturday to snap a five-match winning streak.
 
Schedule/Gameday Links:
SAC Championship central
 
Tuesday, April 25 at Tusculum (7pm) – Live Stats / Video
 
Notes on the Railsplitters:
 
-Lincoln Memorial rode a stellar defensive effort to an 11-9 win over the Cobras in the regular-season finale on Saturday. Coker made life difficult on Lincoln Memorial, but the Railsplitters held the home team scoreless for a nearly 14-minute stretch between the second and third quarters and also kept the Cobras off the board for more than eight minutes in the fourth quarter to power the victory.
 
-Adam Golia completed a dazzling regular season with four goals and an assist in the Railsplitters' win at Coker. The Victoria, British Columbia native is ranked second in the SAC in goals with 39 and fourth in points with 51. He has contributed at least three points in three consecutive matches.
 
-In its third season of existence, Lincoln Memorial is set to make its first appearance in the SAC tournament. The Railsplitters have won a program-record eight games so far this season, and enter the conference championship with wins in three of their last four matches.
 
-Along with Golia, Kyle Arcuri is ranked sixth in the SAC in points with 46 on 32 goals and 14 assists. He had a pair of goals and an assist in the win at Coker after piling up five goals in the loss to Lenoir-Rhyne on April 15.
 
-Senior goalie Joe Medel has been locked in of late for the Railsplitters, recording a save percentage above 60 percent in three consecutive matches. He made 14 saves on a 60.9 percent mark against Coker after stopping a SAC-high 23 shots against Lenoir-Rhyne. He held Mars Hill to just four goals with a 69.2 save percentage in the match before that.
 
-Freshman Robert Tucker ended the regular season ranked 25th in the SAC in points with 30 on 17 goals and 13 assists. He had two assists against Coker after being held scoreless in the loss to Lenoir-Rhyne.
 
Notes on the Pioneers:
 
-Tusculum held a 9-6 lead over Wingate early in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs closed on a 4-0 run and scored the game-winning goal with 2:46 left to clinch the No. 2 seed for the SAC tournament. Eight different players scored a goal for the Pioneers in that contest, led by Nate Wade's two goals.
 
-Prior to that loss, the Pioneers had won five straight matches, including a 13-12 overtime win at Lincoln Memorial on March 29. The Railsplitters led that contest 9-5 early in the third quarter before Tusculum reeled off six unanswered goals to take an 11-9 lead into the fourth. Dallas Wade scored the winning goal with 1:10 left in the first overtime.
 
-The Pioneer attack is led by Ben Boyd, Chris Ryan and Nate Wade, who have each accounted for at least 40 points this season. Boyd leads the team with 45 points on 33 goals and 12 assists, while Ryan has piled up 28 goals and 14 assists. Wade has 29 goals and 11 assists. In addition to that trio. Liam Macdonald and Tyler Klarner have 19 goals apiece.
 
-Senior goalie Kevin Haggerty is ranked third in the SAC in goals against average (8.75) and save percentage (56.5). Haggerty has made double-digit saves in four consecutive matches dating back to a 14-save effort in a win over Queens on April 1.
 
-The Pioneers are 6-1 at home this season. They were a perfect 6-0 at home until Wingate handed Tusculum its first loss at Pioneer Park on Saturday. Tusculum averages 14.71 goals and allows just 8.10 at home compared to 14.0 and 9.74 averages on the road.
 
Series History:
 
-The Railsplitters are 1-2 all-time against Tusculum, but the margin between the two teams is razor thin as all three matches have been decided by just a single goal. Lincoln Memorial lost an 8-7 double-overtime decision to the Pioneers in 2015 before pulling out a 13-12 win at Pioneer Park in 2016. That trend continued in Tusculum's 13-12 overtime win earlier this season.
 
-The Railsplitters' win at Tusculum last season represented the program's first-ever SAC victory. Now they head back to Pioneer Park looking to nab the first postseason win in the program's short history.
 
-In the regular-season clash between Lincoln Memorial and Tusculum, Arcuri led the way with three goals. Billy Kopsky had two goals and two assists, while Golia and Tucker chipped in two goals apiece. Boyd powered the Pioneers with four goals.