BARBOURVILLE, Ky. – The Lincoln Memorial University men's lacrosse season opener was a back-and-forth contest on Saturday afternoon against Maryville University.
 
RAILSPLITTER RUNDOWN:
 The Railsplitters got on the board in the final minutes of the first quarter after falling in a 2-0 deficit. Freshman attack Sam Skousen marked the first goal of the season for the Blue and Gray and in his collegiate career with a dish from senior midfielder Craig Settles. Skousen's goal was the start of a four-goal run that extended into the second quarter for the Railsplitters with two goals from junior attacker Ian Cook and sophomore midfielder Joe Conklin to take a 4-2 lead.
 
Freshman face-off midfielder William Johns tacked on a goal with 10 minutes remaining in the first leg of action with an assist from Cook to extend to a 5-3 lead over the Saints.
 
The Saints rallied to score a pair of goals from Jayden Fraser and Zach Steltzer to end the first half at a stalemate.
 
The third quarter consisted of back-and-forth action starting with another pair of goals from Maryville to claim a 7-5 lead. The Railsplitters then responded with a pair of their own goals from senior midfielder Robert Tucker and Skousen, marking his second goal on the afternoon to tie the contest back at seven-a-piece.
 
After trio of goals from the Saints, Conklin found the back of the net again with an assist by redshirt senior Reggie Golfin to fight back to a one-goal deficit to end the third quarter.
 
LMU closed the game with one goal in the fourth quarter by Golfin to bring the count to 11-10 in favor of the Saints followed by a goal from Maryville's Jake Foster with a minute remaining to hand the Railsplitters a 12-10 loss.
 
THE KEEPERS:
MARYVILLE – William DeVinney marked eight saves on 29 shots, allowing 10 goals on the day.
LMU – Freshman Jacob Brown marked 13 saves in his first collegiate game and throughout 60 minutes of play, allowing 12 goals.
 
TEAM STATS:
LMU led the way in ground balls (32-18) and face-offs (21-5). Maryville rallied past the Railsplitters in shots (47-19), successful clears (22-18) and extra-man opportunities (3-0).
 
LMU LEADERS:

• Skousen led the way with three goals on four shots and two ground balls
• Cook contributed with a pair of goals on four shots and an assist.
• Golfin tacked on a goal, pair of assists and a ground ball on the day.

 
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Today's shootout against Maryville University marks an 0-2 record against the Saints with both contests being decided within only four goals.
 
UP NEXT!
The Railsplitters lacrosse squad will be hosting Lindenwood University on Monday, Feb. 17 at 10 a.m. in Barbourville, Kentucky.
 
How to Follow
Stay tuned to LMURailsplitters.com, as well as LMU's social media platforms - @LMURailsplitter on Twitter, @LMURailsplitters on Facebook and @lmurailsplitters on Instagram, for complete coverage of Railsplitter lacrosse for the 2020 season.