HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Lincoln Memorial women's soccer team will try to beat Wingate for the first time in over a decade on Saturday afternoon when they host the Bulldogs for a South Atlantic Conference showdown at the LMU Soccer Complex at 1 p.m.
The Lady Railsplitters (6-3, 2-2 SAC) exploded offensively and picked up their fourth consecutive road win on Wednesday evening with a 5-0 barnstorming of the Mars Hill Lions, while Wingate (5-3-1, 2-2 SAC) suffered its second straight setback that same day with a 2-1 loss at Catawba. LMU and Wingate enter Saturday's matchup tied in sixth place in the SAC standings.
The Basics
Saturday, October 6 vs. Wingate – 1pm
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Quick Hits
- The dynamic duo of
Jessica Cravero and
Itzel Ballesteros combined for two goals and three assists to lead the Lady Railsplitters in their 5-0 demolition of Mars Hill. Cravero scored a goal and assisted on two others, while Ballesteros had two goals and an assist, as Lincoln Memorial produced its highest goal output since September 2015.
- Freshmen
Daisy Drake and
Lauren Wood both scored their first career goals in the win at Mars Hill. In addition to that, freshman
Rachel Taylor tallied her first career point by assisting on Wood's goal.
- Cravero and Ballesteros have been two of the more productive players in Division II women's soccer this season. Cravero leads the team with nine goals and 20 points, and also ranks 12th in the nation in goals per game (1.0) and 25th in points per game (2.11). Ballesteros is second on the team with 18 points and leads the way with six assists. She is 15th nationally in assists per game with 0.67.
- With a win on Saturday, the Lady Railsplitters would match their win total from the 2017 campaign. LMU is also seeking its first start of 7-3 or better since the 2014 squad started 9-2-1.
- As a team, the Lady Railsplitters rank 37th in the country with 2.44 goals per game, 38th in points per game with 6.56 and 32nd in shutout percentage with a 55.6 percent clip. LMU has posted five shutouts this season with three in its last four matches.
- Additional offensive tidbits: Thirteen different players have registered at least one point for the Lady Railsplitters this season. Cravero's nine goals are the most for a Lady Railsplitter since Sarah Taylor scored 10 in 2010.
Know the Opponent
- The Bulldogs head to Harrogate hoping to snap a two-game losing streak. Last Saturday, league-leading Lenoir-Rhyne scored goals in the 8th, 17th, 48th and 70th minutes to dismantle Wingate 4-0. On Wednesday, the Bulldogs were handed a 2-1 loss at Catawba.
- McKenna Delong scored the lone goal of the match for the Bulldogs in the 84th minute of Wednesday's loss at Catawba. She was one of three Wingate players with multiple shots in the contest.
- Seniors Colleen Zickert and Sophie Jendrzejczyk and freshmen Dayna Marshall and Alicia Rubio Garcia lead the Bulldogs offensively. Zickert has produced a team-best nine points on three goals and three assists, while Jendrzejczyk (3 goals), Marshall (3 goals) and Garcia (2 goals, 2 assists) have six points apiece.
- Junior forward Taylor Krakower is another player to watch for the Bulldogs as she leads the team with 22 shots and ranks second with nine on-target shots. Despite that, Krakower has accounted for just one goal and two assists.
- Eleven different players have posted a goal for Wingate this season while six have multiple goals.
- Wingate is ranked second in the conference in shots per game with 18.0 and total shots on goal with 80. Despite that, the Bulldogs have mustered just seven goals against SAC opponents, the eighth-best mark in the league.
- Saturday is the third leg of a four-match road trip for the Bulldogs, who have been outscored by a combined 6-1 margin through the first two matches. Wingate won its other two road matches this season, opening the year with a 6-1 win at Spring Hill and a 4-3 victory at Auburn Montgomery.
- Senior Abbey Frail has played all but five minutes and 55 seconds in net for the Bulldogs this season, accounting for a 1.30 goals against average and a .782 save percentage. She has posted three shutouts and racked up 43 total saves.
Series History
- It's been a long time since the Lady Railsplitters have either tied with or beaten the Bulldogs as Wingate has reeled off 12 consecutive wins in the series. That streak started on November 1, 2008.
- Lincoln Memorial last beat Wingate in October 2007. Since then, the Lady Railsplitters have been shut out seven times and outscored 36-5 cumulatively.
- The Lady Railsplitters ended a three-match shutout streak against Wingate last season, but still suffered a 3-1 road loss.
Isa Jara tallied LMU's first goal against the Bulldogs since 2013 in the 66th minute.
