CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Maria Hernandez scored a breathtaking goal with less than three minutes left in regulation to propel the Lady Railsplitters to a 1-0 win over the Queens Royals on Wednesday night at Dickson Field. 
 
Behind Hernandez's late goal and its South Atlantic Conference-leading eighth shutout of the season, Lincoln Memorial (10-4, 6-3 SAC) nailed down its first 10-win season and first win over Queens (7-6-1, 3-5-1 SAC) since 2013. The Lady Railsplitters also moved into a tie for third place in the SAC standings with one match left in the regular season. 
 
Lincoln Memorial also avenged the worst loss of the Sean Fraser-era with Wednesday's victory, returning the favor for Queens' 4-0 win at the LMU Soccer Complex last season. 
 
After an extended, dominant stretch of play during which the Lady Railsplitters kept the Royals on the defensive by building numerous dangerous scoring chances, Hernandez scored a beauty in the 88th minute. 
 
Following an Itzel Ballesteros' corner kick, Hernandez ripped a shot that was deflected by a Queens defender. Hernandez then recovered that deflection and lofted a bending shot past Rachel Quest to put Lincoln Memorial in the lead for good. 
 
The Royals managed just one shot over the final 23 minutes of play and that attempt from Taylor Hunkele went high, while the Lady Railsplitters racked up five over that same span. 
 
Lincoln Memorial nearly took the lead well before Hernandez's late-match heroics as Jessica Cravero hit the crossbar in the 46th minute. Cravero led the Lady Railsplitters with five shots, while Rachel Taylor had four. Ballesteros had three and Hernandez had two. 
 
All told, the Lady Railsplitters produced a 16-10 edge in shot attempts, including a 6-3 margin in shots on goal. Cravero, Hernandez and Taylor paced LMU with two shots on goal each. 
 
Ann-Marie O'Connell made three saves and posted her sixth shutout of the season, which is tied for the fourth-most in program history. The Lady Railsplitters' SAC-leading goals against average fell to 0.86 with the win. 
 
Quick Hits
 
- Lincoln Memorial broke into the official NCAA Division II Southeast Region rankings before Wednesday's match, checking in at No. 9. The top-eight teams will make the Southeast Regional field. The Lady Railsplitters are looking to make their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007. 
 
- The goal was Hernandez's third of the season. She is one of five LMU players with multiple goals. 
 
- Charlotte Ring led Queens with five shots. Quest took the loss for the Royals and finished with five saves. 
 
- The Lady Railsplitters improved to 2-2-2 in the all-time series against Queens and notched their first win over the Royals since a 2-0 triumph in Harrogate in 2013. 
 
- Lincoln Memorial hit the 10-win mark just two seasons after going 3-10-2. 
 
Up Next 
 
LMU wraps up the regular season on Saturday, October 27 with a trip to Newberry. First touch is set for 1 p.m.