MARS HILL, N.C. – Four different players scored as the Lady Railsplitters hit their season-high goal mark in a 5-0 triumph at Mars Hill on Wednesday evening. Lincoln Memorial (6-3, 2-2 SAC) earned its fourth straight road win and moved back to .500 in South Atlantic Conference play with the victory, while the Lions (1-8, 0-4 SAC) dropped their eighth consecutive match overall and 10th straight SAC decision.
The dynamic duo of
Itzel Ballesteros and
Jessica Cravero again led the charge for the Lady Railsplitters, who scored five goals for the first time since September 2015. Ballesteros scored two goals and assisted on another to post her third match of the season with at least a goal and an assist, while Cravero scored a goal in her fifth match in a six-match span and added an assist as well.
While Ballesteros scored goals five and six of the season and Cravero moved into a tie for the SAC lead with her ninth goal of the year, freshmen
Daisy Drake and
Lauren Wood scored their first career goals to bookend the 5-0 win, while freshman
Rachel Taylor recorded her first career point in the landslide victory.
The Lady Railsplitters landed a season-high 15 shots on target and finished with a commanding 24-5 edge in total shot attempts.
Ann-Marie O'Connell stopped the only two shots on goal she faced to help Lincoln Memorial notch its fifth shutout of the season.
It didn't take long for the Lady Railsplitters to take control as Drake corralled a rebound in front of the net in the 19th minute to secure her first career goal and give LMU a lead it would not relinquish.
Less than six minutes later, Ballesteros found Cravero inside the box, and the Italian striker did the rest to make it a 2-0 Lady Railsplitter lead midway through the first half.
Lincoln Memorial carried that 2-0 lead into the break, but quickly extended its cushion in the 50th minute, when Ballesteros got on the board. She added her second goal of the match in the 67th minute off an assist from Cravero, who pushed her team-leading point total to 19 with her one-goal, one-assist performance.
Wood capped off the Lady Railsplitters' scoring in the 70th minute with a sliding goal at the end of a beautiful free kick by Taylor.
Five different players finished with multiple shots for the Lady Railsplitters, led by Ballesteros' eight and Cravero's five. By contrast, Sanne Martinsen was the only Mars Hill player with more than one shot attempt.
Quick Hits
- The Lady Railsplitters produced a 5-1 advantage in corner-kick attempts.
- Clare Witt and Tonje Jorgensen split time at goal for the Lions. Jorgensen took the loss after serving up two goals while making three saves in the opening half.
- LMU improved to 15-4 in the all-time series against Mars Hill. The Lady Railsplitters won their first matchup at Mars Hill since 2014 and moved to 8-2 on the road in the series.
- Cravero's nine goals are the most by a Lady Railsplitter since Sarah Taylor scored 10 during the 2010 campaign.
Up Next
The Lady Railsplitters return to the LMU Soccer Complex on Saturday, October 6 to host the Wingate Bulldogs in SAC action at 1 p.m. Lincoln Memorial will be looking to snap a 12-game losing streak against Wingate that dates back to 2008.
