HARROGATE, Tenn. – Fresh off the most successful regular-season campaign in the program's four-year history, the Railsplitters are set to host a South Atlantic Conference Championship match for the first time in program history on Tuesday with a quarterfinal-round bout against Coker at the LMU Lacrosse Complex.
Lincoln Memorial (13-3) begins postseason play riding a three-game winning streak as the team ended the regular season with a 24-4 win over Davis & Elkins on Saturday at Knoxville Catholic High School. The Railsplitters beat Newberry 14-2 and Tusculum 14-12 in their last two SAC matches to earn the No. 3 seed for the SAC tournament with a 6-2 conference record.
Coker (7-7) started 0-2 in SAC play but rebounded to earn the sixth and final spot in the field with a 3-5 conference mark The Cobras lost two of their last three regular-season matches, though, falling 15-7 at Lenoir-Rhyne in the finale and 11-10 at home to Wingate.
The Railsplitters are seeking their first-ever postseason win in their second SAC tournament appearance. Lincoln Memorial was handed an 11-4 loss by Tusculum in the quarterfinals of the 2017 SAC Championship.
Schedule / Game Day Links:
Tuesday, April 24 vs. Coker – LMU Lacrosse Complex, 3 pm
Live Stats
Video
SAC Championship central
Quick Hits:
- The Railsplitters completely overwhelmed Davis & Elkins in Saturday's regular-season finale, opening on a 9-0 run to score 20-plus goals for the fourth time this season.
Adam Golia led the charge with 11 points on six goals and five assists while
Kyle Arcuri produced six goals and four assists. Five other LMU players had multiple points in the match.
- With his third double-digit point effort of the season, Golia pushed his SAC-leading point total to 101 to record just the 18th 100-point season in the history of NCAA Division II men's lacrosse. He's the first player to accomplish that feat since Merrimack's Gregory Rogowski racked up 108 points during the 2006 campaign. This season alone, Golia has shattered the program single-season record for points, points per game (6.31), goals (52), goals per game (3.25), assists (49), assists per game (3.06) and shot attempts (112).
- Lincoln Memorial enters the SAC tournament leading the conference in scoring offense (15.27) and scoring defense (8.67). The Railsplitters also lead the league in seven other significant statistical categories, including caused turnovers per game, ground balls per game and scoring margin.
- Golia's spectacular individual season has overshadowed what Arcuri has done in his junior campaign. The attacker has compiled 63 points on 32 goals and 31 assists, ranking second in program history in points and points per game. He's put up multiple points in all but one of his 16 appearances, including eight games with at least four points.
- Sophomore
Hunter Clark leads the Railsplitters with 85 ground balls and has also gone 129-for-226 on face-off attempts. Clark has 41 more ground ball recoveries than any other Railsplitter and ranks fifth in the league in that department.
- The winner of Tuesday's contest advances to the SAC Championship semifinals to face No. 2 Wingate at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, April 27 in Wingate, N.C. The Railsplitters are trying to advance in the SAC tournament for the first time in program history.
- Freshman goalie
Michael Kessler leads the SAC in goals against average at 8.90 and ranks fourth in save percentage with a 52.3 percent clip. His 694 minutes played are the fifth-most in the league.
- The Railsplitters are averaging 13.63 goals per game in SAC play, the second-highest mark in the league.
Know the Opponent:
- Coker provided little resistance against No. 3 nationally ranked and SAC regular-season champions Lenoir-Rhyne in Saturday's regular-season finale, as the Bears raced out to a 9-1 lead before taking their foot off the gas and cruising to a 15-7 win. Brooks Long led the Cobras with two goals while Denton Wilks was the only other player with multiple points with a goal and an assist.
- All three of Coker's SAC wins came against the three teams that did not make the conference tournament – a 5-3 victory at Newberry, an 11-6 win at Mars Hill and a 17-13 win at Tusculum.
- The Cobras average the third-fewest goals per match in the SAC with 9.00 while ranking fifth in the league in goals against average at 10.00.
- Rylee Marsh leads Coker with 41 points on 22 goals and 19 assists. Matt Murphy is second on the team with 32 points on 19 goals and 13 assists. Ethan Irizarry is third with 31 points on 23 goals and eight assists.
- The Cobras have won just 28.8 percent of their face-off attempts this season. In SAC play, that number dips to a league-low 22.6 percent clip.
- Freshman goalie Chris Hagy has started 13 of the Coker's 14 matches this season, compiling a 10.08 goals against average with a 50.4 save percentage.
- Coker is 4-2 on the road compared to 3-5 at home this season. The Cobras' numbers are significantly better on the road as well, as the team produces 9.67 goals per game on a 68.2 shots on goal percentage on the road compared to 8.50 goals per game and a 54.6 shots on goal percentage at home.
- DeShaun Ormond and Justin Hopkins lead the team with 53 and 45 ground balls apiece, respectively. Hopkins also paces the Cobras with 69 face-off wins.
Series History:
- The Railsplitters battered Coker 16-5 in the both teams' SAC opener on March 10 in Hartsville, S.C. Lincoln Memorial led 9-2 at the half and extended its lead to 13-2 by the end of the third quarter.
Chris Tucker scored five goals to lead all players, while Golia (2 goals, 4 assists) and Arcuri (3 goals, 1 assist) were also productive. Matt Murphy led Coker with three goals and one assist.
- Lincoln Memorial is 2-2 all-time against Coker with wins in the last two meetings, including an 11-9 triumph in Hartsville last season.
- The Railsplitters lost their one and only home match against the Cobra 12-9 in the 2016 finale.
