HARROGATE, Tenn. – Baylee Roche laced in the lone goal of the match in the 72nd minute to help the Young Harris Mountain Lions (2-2) hand the Lady Railsplitters (3-1) their first loss of the season on Sunday afternoon at the LMU Soccer Complex.
The loss ended a three-game, season-opening winning streak for Lincoln Memorial, which was the longest for the program since 2011.
Roche's left-footed strike from just outside of the box in the 72nd minute was the only difference in an otherwise evenly-contested match. Young Harris produced a narrow 11-10 edge in total shots, but the two teams had exactly seven shots on goal apiece. The Lady Railsplitters got the better of the Mountain Lions in that department in the second half, putting six shots on goal over the final 45 minutes.
Lincoln Memorial pressed hard after falling behind 1-0 and nearly put in the equalizer on several occasions. Young Harris keeper Nicole Medeiros was forced into action three times over the final 14 minutes and stood up to that pressure at every turn, making stops on dangerous shots by
Melissa Carpenter (77'),
Isa Jara (78') and finally
Caroline Souza (90') off a free kick with just 23 seconds remaining in regulation to keep the Lady Railsplitters off the board.
Medeiros posted her second clean sheet of the season with six saves, as she kept the Lady Railsplitters from scoring multiple goals for the first time all season.
Souza led the Lady Railsplitters with five shots and four shots on goal, while
Mariana Diaz tallied a pair of shot attempts. Junior goalkeeper
Brooke Taylor endured her first loss of the season despite making six saves.
Quick Hits
- The loss denied the Lady Railsplitters of reaching 4-0 for the first time since the 2010 team rattled off nine consecutive wins to open the season.
- In the first meeting between the two teams since 2011, Lincoln Memorial suffered its first-ever loss to Young Harris, falling to 2-1 in the all-time series. The Lady Railsplitters won the only other meeting in Harrogate, 4-0, during the 2010 campaign.
- Roche and Hadleigh Hughes combined for eight of the Mountain Lions' 11 shot attempts. Roche matched Souza's game-high mark with five, while Hughes had three.
Up Next
The Lady Railsplitters open South Atlantic Conference play with a trip to Greeneville, Tenn. to face the Tusculum Pioneers on Wednesday. That match gets underway at 5 p.m. The Pioneers enter that contest with a 2-1 record.
