HICKORY, N.C. - The Lincoln Memorial University men's soccer team continued its strong play during the early season with a 1-0 exhibition victory over fellow South Atlantic Conference member Lenoir-Rhyne. With the victory, the Railsplitters complete their exhibition unscathed and now look to continue their excellent play in the regular season.

After a Bear turnover deep in their own zone, Shanden Vergara corralled the ball and blasted a shot into the upper part of the net to give LMU the early lead in the first half. Combining physical play with excellent possession and defense, the Railsplitters limited the Lenoir-Rhyne opportunities and showed their mettle throughout the half.

The second half saw the physical play continue, and although the Bears created chances, LMU shut the door time and time again. A penalty save by Robin Hermann thwarted the best chance of the game for Lenoir-Rhyne, and continued possession and scoring chances created by the Railsplitters kept the game in their hands throughout.

Starting a handful of freshmen on the evening, perhaps the most impressive aspect of the match for LMU was that plenty of young players got a chance to not only see playing time, but excelled in that time. The continued development of those players is absolutely something to watch going forward, and ensures that the Railsplitter faithful have an exciting product to watch going forward.

LMU will take on Carson-Newman on the road on Thursday, Feb. 25 in their first regular season contest of 2020-21. The match is slated to begin at 5 p.m.