SALISBURY, N.C. – The Lady Railsplitters announced themselves as legitimate South Atlantic Conference threats on Saturday in Salisbury, N.C. 
 
Backed by a second-half surge powered by a goal and assist from Itzel Ballesteros and a clutch save late in regulation by Ann-Marie O'Connell, Lincoln Memorial took down previously undefeated Catawba 2-0 to earn its first SAC victory of the season in emphatic fashion. 
 
The Indians (6-1, 2-1 SAC) had been absolutely dominant in their six previous matches to start the 2018 campaign, winning all six outright while outscoring their opponents by a combined 12-3 margin and posting three shutouts. But the Lady Railsplitters (4-2, 1-1 SAC) bounced back from Wednesday's loss to defending SAC champions Carson-Newman by beating the only unbeaten team remaining in the conference.  
 
After a slow first half that saw the two teams go scoreless and combine for just five shots total, the Lady Railsplitters claimed the lead for good in the 51st minute on Ballesteros' fourth goal of the season, which came in unassisted fashion. 
 
Ballesteros then helped double Lincoln Memorial's lead in the 73rd minute, when she crossed it into the box for Jessica Cravero, who finished off her team-leading fifth goal of the season to give the Lady Railsplitters a 2-0 cushion with 17 minutes left. 
 
That second goal proved pivotal as the Indians made a substantial push late in regulation and threatened to score on multiple occasions, but O'Connell stood up to the pressure to help the Lady Railsplitters post their third shutout of the season. 
 
O'Connell made four saves in the match, but her most impressive and most important stop came in the 85th minute when she stopped Jovana Sanchez's penalty kick attempt to thwart any potential comeback bid before it began. 
 
With the win, the Lady Railsplitters avenged last season's 1-0 overtime loss to the Indians that ended their 2017 campaign. It also marked LMU's first outright win in the series since a 1-0 victory in October 2015. The Lady Railsplitters tallied multiple goals against the Indians for the first time since November 2013. 
 
Quick Hits 
 
- Cravero paced Lincoln Memorial with six shots. Ballesteros and Robyn Foster produced the only other shot attempts for the Lady Railsplitters, who were outshot 13-8 in the match. 
 
- Catawba finished with a 7-0 edge in corner kick attempts, with all seven corners coming in the second half. 
 
- The Lady Railsplitters were called for 24 fouls compared to nine for Catawba. Cravero, Mariana Diaz and Maria Hernandez were also handed yellow cards. 
 
Up Next 
 
The Lady Railsplitters take a brief break from SAC play on Tuesday when they pay Albany State a visit for a nonconference matchup set for a 4 p.m. start in Albany, Ga.