DUE WEST, S.C. -- Lincoln Memorial University's men's soccer team returns to the pitch for its 2017 season opener against the Erskine Flying Fleet in Due West, S.C. at 7:30 p.m. Preview the season here.

The Basics 

Thursday, August 31 at Erskine – 7:30 pm
Live Stats
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Quick Hits 

- Lincoln Memorial is looking to build upon an 11-7-1 effort during the 2016 season, which included a 6-5 mark in South Atlantic Conference play. The Railsplitters were selected to finish fourth in the SAC preseason coaches poll, which was released on Monday.
 
- Despite finishing fifth in the SAC, the Railsplitters advanced to their first conference championship match since 2012. LMU and Tusculum battled to a 1-1 stalemate for the first 108 minutes before the Pioneers scored the game-winning goal in the 109th minute to hand Lincoln Memorial a heartbreaking 2-1 loss.
 
- Ten of the twelve players to record a point for Lincoln Memorial in 2016 will again suit up for the Railsplitters in 2017. Junior forward Victor Peres, a 2016 All-SAC second team selection, will look to improve on his team-best nine goals and 23 points. Meanwhile, Danilo da Silva attempted a SAC-high 90 shots and led the Railsplitters with eight assists en route to earning 2016 All-SAC first team honors. The senior forward also chipped in six goals and 20 points and is the only returner to have started all 19 games last season.
 
- Peres and da Silva were named as preseason first team All-SAC selections. Senior midfielder Henrique Rezek and sophomore defender Ronaldo de Jesus earned second-team honors.
 
- While the roster unit is largely still intact from 2016, the Railsplitters will have to account for the losses of significant contributors in George Burne, August Ahlin and Hisham Abdelaziz. Burne finished second on the team with seven goals and third with 16 points. Ahlin started every game in goal as a freshman and ranked fourth in the SAC with a 1.24 goals against average. Abdelaziz also started all 19 games.
 
- Coach Helio D'Anna enters his 15th season as the head men's soccer coach at Lincoln Memorial University and has compiled a 157-75-25 record. He has guided the Railsplitters to four conference championships and two NCAA national tournament appearances in his tenure. The men's squad has also won two regional titles and made an appearance in the 2007 NCAA National Championship.
 
- The Railsplitters are 10-4 in season openers under D'Anna. However, three of those losses have occurred since 2011, including a 2-1 setback at Montevallo to open the 2016 campaign.
 
- After Thursday's opener, the Railsplitters will play three of their next four matches at the LMU Soccer Complex, beginning with the home opener against King Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Know the Opponent 

- Erskine finished third in the Conference Carolinas in 2016 with a 6-4 conference mark but went just 8-9 overall. The Flying Fleet faltered down the stretch and dropped their final five matches, including a conference tournament quarterfinal bout to Lees-McRae.
 
- Erskine was selected to finish third in the 2017 Conference Carolinas Men's Soccer preseason poll with 62 points—seven behind No. 2 Southern Wesleyan.
 
- The Flying Fleet return their leading scorer from 2016 in forward Daniel Jonna, an All-Conference Carolinas second team performer as a freshman, who found the back of the net nine times.
 
- Erskine struggled offensively last season, scoring just 24 goals in 17 games for an average of 1.41 per game. The team tied for eighth in the conference in goals scored and ranked ninth in goals per game. The Fleet scored one or fewer goals in 10 of 17 games played and compiled a 3-7 record in those matches.
 
- The Fleet lost three 2016 All-Conference Carolinas third team performers in midfielder Cameron Whitehurst, defender Harry Hagon and goalkeeper Martin Arias. Whitehurst was second on the team with four assists and third with eight points. Arias compiled a 1.43 goals against average and four shutouts, which both ranked fourth in the conference.
 
- Erskine has not finished a season with a winning record since the 2013 team went 12-6-2 and advanced to the conference title match.

Head-to-Head

- Thursday marks the first all-time meeting between Lincoln Memorial and Erskine. The Railsplitters open their season in South Carolina for the first time since the 2001 campaign, when they traveled to USC Aiken.