NEWBERRY, S.C. – The Lady Railsplitters look to lock down a home match for the South Atlantic Conference Championship quarterfinals and possibly earn the tournament's No. 2 seed on Saturday afternoon when they close out the regular season with a matchup at Newberry. 
 
Lincoln Memorial's (10-4, 6-3 SAC) resurgent 2018 campaign rolled along on Wednesday as the Lady Railsplitters posted their SAC-leading eighth shutout of the season and Maria Hernandez scored the game-winner in the 88th minute in a 1-0 win at Queens. 
 
That victory kept the Lady Railsplitters in a three-way tie for third place in the SAC standings with Catawba and Lenoir-Rhyne – two teams LMU beat earlier this season. Lincoln Memorial has already assured its spot in the SAC tournament for the first time since 2015, but a win on Saturday would clinch a home match for the quarterfinals for the first time since 2014. Further, an LMU win paired with an Anderson home loss or tie against Lenoir-Rhyne would give the Lady Railsplitters the No. 2 seed for the SAC tournament. 
 
It's a much different situation for Newberry (7-7-1, 2-6-1 SAC), who is simply hoping to play spoiler and end its season on a high note. The Wolves are in ninth place in the SAC standings and have been eliminated from postseason consideration regardless of Saturday's outcome. 
 
The Basics 
 
Saturday, October 27 at Newberry – 1pm
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Quick Hits 
 
- On the back of Hernandez's goal and another standout defensive performance, the Lady Railsplitters hit the 10-win mark for the first time since 2013 with that win at Queens, which also avenged a 4-0 loss to the Royals last season. 
 
- LMU's defensive unit has solidified itself as one of the best in program history. Led by junior goalie Ann-Marie O'Connell and freshmen starters Fabienne Loetscher and Lauren Wood, the Lady Railsplitters lead the SAC with a 0.86 goals against average and eight shutouts. That goals against average is the third-lowest in program history and the lowest since the 1998 squad's 0.64 mark. 
 
- The Lady Railsplitters are vying for their first 11-win season since the 2008 team went 11-6-1. If things fall into place and LMU finishes as the SAC regular-season runners-up, it would be the program's best finish since its title run in 2007. 
 
- While Jessica Cravero (13 goals, 4 assists) and Itzel Ballesteros (8 goals, 8 assists) have stolen the headlines, freshman Rachel Taylor has steadily emerged as another weapon in LMU's offensive arsenal. The Clarksville, Tenn., native has started the past five matches and logged multiple shots in two of her last three appearances, including a career-high four with two shots on goal against Queens. 
 
- Cravero is ranked 24th in the nation with 2.14 points per game, while Ballesteros is 49th in that category with 1.71. As a team, the Lady Railsplitters are ranked 46th in the nation in goals per game with 2.21. 
 
Know the Opponent 
 
- Newberry picked up a 3-2 win at Mars Hill on Wednesday to earn just its second SAC victory of the season. Daphne Hayaime scored two goals, while Emma Harms added another in the Wolves' win. 
 
- Collectively, Newberry has been outscored 19-9 by conference opponents. They have also been outshot 173-80 against SAC foes, including 73-35 in shots on goal. 
 
- Heyaime leads the Wolves with 23 points on 10 goals and three assists. She has also produced a team-best 59 shots and 26 shots on goal. Salley Slice is second in points with 16 on six goals and four assists, while Harms has added four goals and a pair of assists.
 
- Sophomore Jayleen Gant has played the bulk of the minutes in goal for the Wolves, racking up over 1,000 minutes of action across 12 appearances. Over that span, Gant has produced a 1.77 goals against average and a .750 save percentage. 
 
- Sophomore midfielder Courtney Velazquez was selected to the preseason All-SAC first team prior to the 2018 campaign, but she has accounted for only one goal on eight shot attempts this season. 
 
- The Wolves are 5-3 at home compared to 2-4-1 on the road. Newberry has accounted for 2.38 goals at home, a steep rise from its 1.14 goals per match average on the road. 
 
Series History
 
- Mariana Diaz scored in the 10th minute to send the Lady Railsplitters past Newberry 1-0 last season at the LMU Soccer Complex. 
 
- That win moved LMU to 7-6-2 in the all-time series. The Lady Railsplitters are 4-2-2 on the road in the series. The two teams tied 1-1 in the most recent match at Newberry in 2016.