HARROGATE, Tenn. – Just 48 hours after seizing the top spot in the South Atlantic Conference standings by virtue of a 2-1 triumph over arch-rival Carson-Newman at home to sweep the Eagles, the Lincoln Memorial University women's soccer team would mirror another result from earlier in the year across the regular season finale on Thursday evening, concluding a 110-minute bout with Tusculum in a 1-1 stalemate.

Posting a final record of 4-0-2 ahead of the SAC Tournament Quarterfinal round to be held on Monday at each of the top four seeds' locations, the Lady Railsplitters fell just shy of achieving their second league regular season title in program history, instead forced to end the day knotted up with the Pioneers for the second time in 2021.

As was the case during the two teams' first encounter of the spring back on March 3^rd in Greeneville, Tenn., LMU surged ahead by a wide margin in terms of total shot opportunities, outgaining the Pioneers by a 20-8 clip in that category, including a 6-2 edge over the 20-minute overtime periods.

However, none of those 20 looks at the net got past the Tusculum defense with the exception of junior forward Jessica Cravero's 41^st career goal at the 34:31 stamp. The Pioneers answered back just over 30 minutes later to signal the 1-1 deadlock, where neither team was able to provide the tiebreaker from that point.

Fresh off a season-best nine saves in the team's victory over C-N two days prior, senior goalkeeper Emanuely Costa only needed three on Thursday to prevent Tusculum from gaining the win, although a 67^th-minute strike from TU's Peiton Bledsoe proved to be the one blemish on the Lady Railsplitters' defensive efforts in their first tie in Harrogate since the 2015 campaign.

Only surrendering three shot tries from the Pioneers in each half of regulation, LMU stayed the aggressor for the majority of the day, tallying four consecutive kicks near the goal over the first 16 minutes of play.

As far and away the highest shot-creator for either side throughout the match, Cravero's fifth out of 12 attempts broke through to put the Lady Railsplitters on the board from 25 yards back on a perfectly placed ball that floated past TU keeper Cece Mortensen.

Cravero's long-distance snipe signified the fourth goal of 2021 for the Italian, while also indicating the third score of the opening 45 minutes for the blue and gray across their six meetings this semester.

Tusculum's only shot attempt for the remainder of the half after falling behind 1-0 came from Elise Gallo in the 41^st minute on a high-arching blow corralled by Costa. After two more unsuccessful tries in the opening moments of the 2^nd period, the Pioneers snuck one by LMU 22 minutes after the intermission in what turned out to be the final score of the evening.

Brooke Radcliffe, who ended the day as one of only two Pioneers with more than one shot along with Tina Haig, lined up the assist for Bledsoe to even the odds with 23 minutes left until the horn. Cravero, Rachel Taylor, and Mariana Diaz would all find a crease to try and sink the game (and conference) clinching goal over the final 10 minutes but to no avail.

The Lady Railsplitters wouldn't allow a single TU shot during the first overtime stretch, instead creating their own from Cravero and sophomore Lexi Bearden once the halfway portion of OT had commenced. Four more opportunities from Cravero over the final 10 minutes couldn't translate to the golden goal, leaving things unresolved once more between their in-state foe.

Concluding the regular season without an outright loss to their resume, but with two ties against the same program, LMU gathered up enough points in Pod 3 alongside TU, Carson-Newman, and Mars Hill to at least clinch a hosting bid during the SAC Tournament's first round on Monday afternoon.

Beating out Carson-Newman for the #1 placement in the four-team division with a 14-point tally, the Lady Railsplitters are guaranteed either the 2 or 3 seed for the postseason's round of eight at the top of the week thanks to their ranking in Pod 3.

Cementing a Quarterfinal round hosting bid for the third time since 2014 and the first time in the last three years, LMU will put their back-to-back defending SAC Championship status on the line, having reached an automatic bid for the NCAA Division II Southeast Regionals each of the past two years by gaining the conference tourney title.

The Lady Railsplitters will discover their first postseason opponent on Friday afternoon, wherein the higher seed will host each tournament game throughout the entire bracket as opposed to the normal scenario of holding the semi's and championship matches at a neutral site.
 
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