SALISBURY, N.C. — Once the Lincoln Memorial University men's soccer team got started Saturday afternoon, there was no stopping the Railsplitters' momentum.
 
LMU scored two first-half goals followed by one more in the last 45 minutes, while shutting out the Indians en route of the Railsplitters' first South Atlantic Conference, 3-0, victory at Catawba College.
 
The Railsplitters (3-2-1, 1-1 SAC) entered Saturday with a chip on their shoulder after dropping a gritty, 3-2, match to Carson-Newman on Wednesday in their SAC home, season opener.
 
LMU traveled to Catawba (1-5, 0-3) without three key players — Rodrigo Aguiar, Julio Neto and Guilherme Soares — due to red cards versus the Eagles.
 
But, even without those Railsplitters, LMU handled business on the road.
 
Victor Peres and Ueslei Silva got the visitor's side rolling in the ninth minute. Peres connected with Silva for his second goal of the season with a shot inside the far post from 17-yards out. It was also Peres' first assist.
 
Then, it was Miguel Reis, who took a pass from Felipe de Sousa, and dropped it over the goalkeeper's head for his first score of the year from 20-yards out at the 25-mintue mark. The assist from the reigning Astroturf SAC Offensive Men's Soccer Player of the Week was his second this year.
 
The Railsplitters had three shots on goal in the first half compared to none by the Indians.
 
LMU continued to dominate in the second half as the Railsplitters put seven more shots on goal while Catawba had six. The Indians found zero luck, even when LMU replaced starting goalkeeper Caleb Cothrin with Caio Bergamo — his first action of the year — in the 66th minute.
 
Nine minutes before that, Peres found the back of the net for the third consecutive match as the senior corralled the loose ball in the box and sent it home for the third and final score.
 
The Railsplitters will be back in action Wednesday at 7 p.m. when they travel to Alabama-Huntsville for a midweek, nonconference match.