JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – With the 2021 South Atlantic Conference curtain jerker seemingly moments away from ending in a draw, the Lincoln Memorial University women's soccer team pulled a rabbit out of the hat with 24 seconds remaining, courtesy of a Rachel Taylor tap-in to give the Lady Railsplitters a stunning 2-1 victory over Carson-Newman Thursday night on the road.

Getting the Matthew Carr coaching era off to a miraculous start by virtue of a win over his former school in the season opener, LMU completed a 1-0 halftime deficit comeback to score the game's final two goals, picking up its third consecutive overtime triumph in the process.

Just over 14 minutes into the action, Carson-Newman found itself on the board thanks to a surprising score from inches outside the net by freshman forward Abbie Zander. As Molly Bukiewicz lined up an assist attempt from the right side of the box, LMU goalkeeper Emanuely Costa managed to get a hand on the high ball but was unable to bring it down with her. The Lady Railsplitter defense was late rotating over, and Zander stood in the right place at the right time, nudging the ball in from straightaway to give the Eagles a 1-0 advantage.

LMU was able to hold C-N scoreless for the remainder of the half, but was unable to cement the tying score on seven shot attempts. Neither of the Eagles' two corner kick opportunities over the first 45 minutes amounted to a goal, as they entered the intermission still in front by one.

Just over 16 minutes into the second period, preseason SAC first-team selection Jessica Cravero evened the odds by notching the team's first goal of the 2021 campaign. Taylor provided a perfect bounce right at midfield that left Cravero ahead of the two-player back line of defense, opening the runway for the Italian forward to notch her 38^th collegiate goal with the blue and gray.

Sophomore midfielder Johanna Altheden nearly put the Lady Railsplitters in front at the 68:06 mark, but was thwarted by a Lilly Ebner save at the last moment. As Carson-Newman's goalie, Ebner finished with four saves in defeat, a figure that Costa matched on the opposite end of the field for LMU.

Another crucial save by the C-N defense occurred with eight minutes remaining in regulation, as a Cravero shot attempt was denied in what turned out to be the Lady Railsplitters' 14^th and final shot try of the first 90 minutes.

With 40 ticks left on the clock, the Eagles' Addie Henry gave Carson-Newman a last-ditch effort on a shot attempt that fell wide right of the mark. The 1-1 stalemate signified an extra ten minutes of action, LMU's first overtime bout since October of 2019.

Ultimately, neither side was able to provide the sudden death game-ender as the contest sailed past the 100-minute mark. The Lady Railsplitters limited C-N to a single shot attempt in the first overtime stretch, a strike from Jente Kuper that was saved by Costa.

Both Cravero and Taylor tried to seal the game over the final 90 seconds of overtime # 1, with their respective shot attempts falling either too high or being outright deflected by the Eagles. Another ten minutes would follow with the score still deadlocked at one apiece.

Carson-Newman's last shot try of the evening stood as arguably their best chance at the win after Emilee Futrell's curve kick from far out just narrowly whiffed the right side of the goal. LMU had been held without a single shot attempt in the second OT until the period's final moments, when Taylor brought the Lady Railsplitters the W in the waning seconds.

A mistimed header by the Eagles on a Lady Railsplitter long-ball left Taylor one-on-one with Ebner as the game hung in the balance. The junior forward gently tapped the ball high above the goalie's head, where it took one hop into the back of the net to secure the shocking LMU win with 24 seconds left.

Altogether, the Lady Railsplitters outperformed Carson-Newman in the shots department by a 17-12 margin, with six of those tries coming on goal. 14 of LMU's shot attempts were from the feet of either Taylor or Cravero.

Grabbing the program's ninth win over the Eagles in Coach Carr's first appearance back in Jefferson City, the Lady Railsplitters captured their most electrifying season-opening win in recent memory, giving them a massive head start over the team that was projected two spots higher than them in the preseason conference rankings.
 
Up Next
 
Staying in the Volunteer State for the second outing of the six-game schedule, LMU travels to Tusculum seven days after clipping the Eagles' wings, facing off with the Pioneers at 12:30 p.m.

The Lady Railsplitters got the better of their in-state foe the last time out by a 3-1 margin in Greeneville, where they will renew their in-state rivalry with Tusculum next Thursday.
 
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 Lady Railsplitter soccer across the 2021 season.