HARROGATE, Tenn. – Hosting a postseason bout for the first time since the 2018 campaign, the 3^rd-seeded Lincoln Memorial University women's soccer team clinched a 1-0 halftime lead for the third consecutive time against 6^th-seeded Limestone on Monday evening. Whereas the previous two 1-0 leads ended in a win and a draw, the Lady Railsplitters drew the worst option of the three possible results in extended time, dropping a 2-1 decision in overtime to prematurely put an end to the 2021 campaign in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament's opening round.

In only the second occasion out of seven matches this spring, LMU (4-1-2) wasn't able to overpower their opponent in terms of shot attempts, behind in a 12-6 margin at the end of the day. That statistic didn't harm the Lady Railsplitters over the first period thanks to junior striker Jessica Cravero's 42^nd-career goal nearly 35 minutes in.

However, the blue and gray caved in their 1-0 lead for the third straight outing at home, and the Saints (5-2) capitalized on a one-sided second half of possession, scoring twice just over 18 minutes apart to steal the victory, capped by the sudden-death kick at the 98:50 stamp.

LMU didn't seek a number of looks at the net on par with their usual production in the SAC Quarterfinal round, although their third try of the afternoon had enough heat on it to sail by Limestone keeper Taylin Jean at the 34:18 mark. Cravero was able to weave her way around the Saints' defensive unit to put her team on the board first, submitting only the fourth goal given up by Limestone over seven appearances.

While the 1-0 cushion gave the Lady Railsplitters some breathing room in the early going, they were plagued by a lack of crucial shot opportunities down the stretch, made even more critical when the Saints evened the odds with less than nine minutes to go.

Six minutes after an unsuccessful try at the back of the net, Limestone's Katharina Haerle threw out the life jacket for the visitors, securing an unassisted goal past LMU keeper Emanuely Costa that would ultimately send the postseason match into an extra 10-minute stretch.

Head Coach Matthew Carr's group quickly turned back to their offensive aggressiveness after their 1-0 lead fell by the wayside, although a missed shot from Cravero and back-to-back offside penalties prevented LMU from avoiding its fourth overtime marathon of the spring.

Both teams began showing signs of fatigue after the horn sounded to end regulation, as they would combine for just two shot tries over the final 8:50.

The Lady Railsplitters nearly caught Limestone napping just 25 seconds into OT, as junior forward Rachel Taylor came inches away from notching the golden goal in what turned out to be LMU's final shot of the day and their first shot not off the foot of Cravero, who registered the previous five.

Thwarting an LMU corner kick at the 97:04 stamp (the ninth such occasion for both teams put together), the Saints hurriedly put the Lady Railsplitters' backs against the wall with a misfired shot from Abbie Iddenden just over a minute later.

Limestone was able to regain possession after the miss, where Sarah Schwaninger lined up the dagger for Andrea Zwinkels, a shot that sends the Saints to the SAC Tournament Semi's and the blue and gray to the end of the line this semester.

The Lady Railsplitters had emerged as the conference tourney champions each of the prior two seasons on their way to consecutive NCAA Division II Southeast Regional showings, but couldn't escape their 1-0 lead fading away, falling victim to the 6-over-3 Quarterfinal upset.
 
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