Matthews, NC – Lincoln Memorial men's soccer punches their ticket to the SAC Tournament Championship with a 1-0 win over #2 seed the Emory & Henry Wasps Friday evening.

The Wasps began the shot attempts quickly in the match as in the third minute, E&H took their first shot on frame, handing goalkeeper Daniel Benedek Miklosi his first save of the night.

The Railsplitters' first scoring chances resulted in a goal, as Gian-Carlo Kama first took a shot in the 13^th minute that hit the post. In the same minute, Botond Skulka crossed the ball from the left corner of the 18-yard box to a rushing Enrique Martin, who headed the ball towards the Wasp goalkeeper. The goalkeeper saved the ball but could not secure it, bouncing back to Martin to allow him to put the ball in the back of the net to give LMU the early 0-1 lead.  

Despite the setback, Emory & Henry did not let down as they recorded another shot on target in the 17^th minute, easily collected by Benedek Miklosi, followed by a few blocked and off frame shots.

E&H continued to apply pressure but was unsuccessful as they took a shot in the 20th minute, saved by Benedek Miklosi, and a pair of shots off target.

With that being the last scoring opportunity for either team, Lincoln Memorial went into halftime with the 1-0 advantage.

Opposite of the first half, LMU started out the second half with urgency as they took their first shot on goal in the 48^th minute by Dani Cruz, but was saved by the Wasp goalkeeper, followed by a blocked shot from Vincente Charlin.

After a pair of off-frame shots from both teams, Antonio Talavera sent a shot on frame in the 62^nd minute but was deflected by the goalkeeper.

For the next ten minutes, possession continued to battle back-and-forth as each team had multiple shot attempts but were either blocked or off target. The next chance on goal came in the 72^nd minute by Skulka, saved by the Wasp goalkeeper.  

Ten minutes later in the 82^nd minute, Martin fired off a shot, forcing the E&H goalkeeper to make a save, followed quickly by an Emory & Henry shot in the 83^rd minute, deflected by Benedek Miklosi.

The Wasps attempt a last chance at equalizing the match with a shot in the 89^th minute, but was handled by Benedek Miklosi. With that, Lincoln Memorial advances to the SAC Championship match with the 1-0 win.

Martin scored the lone goal for the Railsplitters, with Skulka tallying the assist. The duo also led in shots with three shots each, and Martin was the team leader in shots on goal with two. Benedek Miklosi recorded five saves on the evening.

As a team, Lincoln Memorial recorded ten shots, with five being on goal, four corner kicks, and five saves.

With the win, the LMU improves to a 8-7-2 overall record and Emory & Henry drops to a 7-4-5 overall record.

The Railsplitters will face Lenoir-Rhyne for a chance at the SAC Championship title on Sunday, November 16^th at 4 pm in Matthews, NC.