HICKORY, N.C. – The Railsplitters will face their toughest test of the season and try to rebound from their first South Atlantic Conference setback when they visit the No. 3 Lenoir-Rhyne Bears on Saturday.
Lincoln Memorial (10-2, 4-1 SAC) had its program-record eight-match winning streak snapped last Saturday at Wingate, as the Bulldogs grinded out a back-and-forth 12-11 win. Lenoir-Rhyne (11-1, 4-0 SAC), one of the nation's unquestioned elites, remains one of the hottest teams in the country. The Bears are leading the SAC and have won seven straight games since suffering their only loss of the season on February 24.
The Railsplitters have never beaten Lenoir-Rhyne, which holds a 3-0 mark in the all-time series. Lincoln Memorial was shut out for the only time in program history in the first meeting in 2015. The Railsplitters were also beaten by the nationally ranked Bears 15-7 in 2016 and 12-7 in 2017.
Schedule / Game Day Links:
Saturday, April 7 at Lenoir-Rhyne (1pm) –
Live Stats /
Video
Quick Hits:
- The Railsplitters led 7-5 early in the third quarter but Wingate rallied back to hand Lincoln Memorial its first SAC loss of the season last Saturday in Wingate, N.C.
Reggie Golfin and
Robert Tucker paced the Railsplitters with two goals apiece, while
Kyle Arcuri,
Dylan Neisler and
Adam Golia had a goal and an assist apiece.
- Despite being limited to a season-low two points in the loss to Wingate, Golia still leads the SAC in points with 71 and sits in second with 39. He also leads the league with 32 assists.
- Last Saturday's loss was the Railsplitters' first since a 20-6 setback at Saint Leo on February 10. Saint Leo is currently ranked No. 6 in the USILA national poll.
- The Railsplitters are ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring with 15.83 goals per game, shot percentage with a 35.1 percent clip, ground balls per game with 40.42, assists per game with 10.17, points per game with 26.0 and caused turnovers per game with 12.42.
- There are four teams in the nation with at least 10 wins this season and two will take the field on Saturday. Lenoir-Rhyne is tied for the national lead with Rockhurst with 11 wins, while Lincoln Memorial and Tampa have the second-most wins in the nation with 10 apiece.
- Freshman goalie
Michael Kessler is ranked fourth in the SAC in save percentage with a 52.2 percent clip while his 6.83 saves per game are the ninth-most in the conference. He leads the league with an 8.95 goals against average and trails only Lenoir-Rhyne's Ryan Crompton for the SAC lead in wins with nine.
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Hunter Clark is third in the SAC and 16th in the nation in ground balls per game with 6.44.
Josh Hernandez is 12th in the conference in that department with 3.17.
Know the Opponent:
- Lenoir-Rhyne has arguably the most impressive resume in the country. The Bears' only loss came at the hands of No. 15 Colorado Mesa, while L-R has produced wins over No. 7 and winners of three of the last four national championships Limestone, No. 4 Seton Hill, No. 16 Florida Tech, No. 14 Belmont Abbey and No. 9 Tampa. The Bears are 4-0 in SAC play with victories against Wingate, Tusculum, Queens and Newberry.
- In last Saturday's 12-9 neutral-site win over Tampa, Lenoir-Rhyne trailed 7-4 at the half but dominated the second half to pull off the come-from-behind victory. Ben Corrigan led the way with four goals, while Joe Buduo and Eric Dickinson had two goals and two assists apiece. Anthony Fraga also chipped in a pair of goals in the win.
- Lenoir-Rhyne averages 14.67 goals per game, second in the SAC to only Lincoln Memorial. The Bears allow 9.17 goals per game and win by an average of 5.5 goals per match.
- Buduo leads the SAC with 44 goals and is second to only Golia in total points with 60. Buduo has produced the second-most shot attempts (83) and shots on goal (56) in the conference.
- Corrigan has accounted for 23 points and 19 assists, while freshman Myles Moffat is third on the team with 37 points on 20 goals and 17 assists. Dickinson is also above the 30-point threshold with 24 goals and 11 assists.
- The Bears are 6-1 at home compared to 5-0 outside of Hickory. Lenoir-Rhyne has won its last two home matches in dominant fashion, though, obliterating Newberry 17-4 and Queens 24-8.
- Crompton has been the most impressive goalie in the SAC this season. Over the course of 11 starts, he leads the SAC in wins and save percentage with a 58.8 percent clip. He is second in total saves and fourth in goals against average.
- Lenoir-Rhyne was one of eight teams to make the NCAA tournament in 2017. The Bears lost to Tampa in the national quarterfinals but avenged that loss last Saturday.
