WINGATE, N.C. – The Lady Railsplitters (5-4, 0-3 SAC) will try to slow down the hottest team in the South Atlantic Conference on Saturday when they pay the league-leading Wingate Bulldogs (5-1, 4-0 SAC) a visit for a 1 p.m. kickoff. Lincoln Memorial is angling for its first conference win and goal of the 2017 campaign, while Wingate will be aiming to push its winning streak to six games.
The Basics
Saturday, September 30 at Wingate – 1pm
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Quick Hits
- The Lady Railsplitters improved to 5-1 against nonconference foes with a 3-1 win over the first-year Albany State Golden Rams on Tuesday at the LMU Soccer Complex.
Stephanie Cawthorne scored the first two goals of her career to lead that effort, while
Melissa Carpenter tallied her second of the season to cap off the victory.
- Lincoln Memorial has been stout defensively in free play, but the Lady Railsplitters have been vulnerable on set pieces. In Tuesday's match, Albany State scored its first-ever goal off of a free kick in the 69th minute, while Lenoir-Rhyne powered its 1-0 win over LMU with an 83rd-minute goal via a free kick. A free kick also opened the door for Queens' game-winning goal on September 16.
- In that win over Albany State, the Lady Railsplitters bombarded the Golden Rams with a season-high 30 shots and 13 shots on goal. That was the program's highest shot output since the 2015 squad racked up a program-record 83 shots against Hiwassee.
- With the season hitting the midway point, the Lady Railsplitters have had to absorb a number of significant injuries. Lincoln Memorial was without key players
Alyssa Berry,
Gabby Garcia,
Caroline Souza and
Palisa Chipendo in Tuesday's nonconference match.
- Saturday's match begins a road-heavy finish to the regular season for the Lady Railsplitters, who will face another tough test next Wednesday with a trip to Jefferson City, Tenn. to challenge the No. 9 Carson-Newman Eagles.
- Lincoln Memorial will be trying to snap a seven-game SAC winless streak dating back to a 2-1 double-overtime win over Coker on October 15, 2016. During that stretch, the Lady Railsplitters have scored just two goals against league foes, both of which came in a 3-2 overtime loss to Anderson.
Know the Opponent
- Since suffering a 2-1 loss to Tampa in the season opener, Wingate has rallied off five straight wins and allowed just one goal over that span. Since Lander scored in the 83rd minute of the Bulldogs' 2-1 overtime victory on September 9, Wingate has posted four consecutive clean sheets, outscoring opponents 9-0 over the span.
- It should come as no surprise that Wingate is the toughest defensive team in the SAC, holding opponents to a league-low 0.48 goals per game. The Bulldogs have also outshot opponents 99-52, including a 56-25 edge in shots on goal.
- Wingate has been unspectacular but solid on the offensive end. The Bulldogs average 16.5 shots per game and land 56.6 percent of those shot attempts on goal. However, the Bulldogs are in the middle of the pack in scoring with 2.00 goals per game, while their 12 total goals are the sixth-most in the league.
- Seven players have scored at least one goal for Wingate this season, while nine have contributed at least one assist. Senior Taylor Leyble leads the team with eight points on three goals and two assists, while junior forward Kimmi Moore has two goals and two assists. Gabby Fleischli and Colleen Zickert also have two goals apiece. Carly Veit leads the team with three assists.
- Senior goalkeeper Alexis Jones is arguably the best at her position in the South Atlantic Conference. She currently leads the league in goals against (2), goals against average (0.43) and save percentage (.882). Jones has a solid supporting cast in front of her, though, as she has had to make just 15 saves.
Head-to-Head
Simply put, Wingate has dominated the all-time series against Lincoln Memorial. The Bulldogs have won 12 of the teams' 15 meetings, including a streak of 11 straight dating back to November 2008. The Lady Railsplitters haven't scored a goal against the Bulldogs since 2013, losing the last three matchups by a combined total of 12-0. That includes a crushing 7-0 loss last season at the LMU Soccer Complex.
