HICKORY, N.C. -- The conference opener didn't go as planned for the Bears as they dropped a tight 2-0 contest to Lincoln Memorial on Thursday. Lenoir-Rhyne fell in this one despite winning the shots battle (13-8) and having three more corner kicks than the Railsplitters.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lincoln Memorial 2, Lenoir-Rhyne 0
Records: Lincoln Memorial (1-2, 1-0 SAC), Lenoir-Rhyne (1-1, 0-1 SAC)
Location: Moretz Sports Athletic Complex | Hickory, N.C.
STATS OF THE MATCH:
- The Railsplitters got on the board in the 31st minute when a Ronan O'Mahony pass was headed into the goal near the far post by Filip Jeppesen, putting the visitors up one.
- The Bears managed just one shot in the final 15 minutes of the half and went into the break down 1-0.
- The second half saw the Bears out-shoot Lincoln Memorial 8-4, but just one of those eight shots was on goal.
- LMU's Gian-Carlo Kama found a hole behind the defense late and powered it into the back of the net to double the lead.
- Despite holding a 13-8 edge in shots, Lenoir-Rhyne only had two shots on goal, compared to six from Lincoln Memorial.
- LMU committed 15 fouls to LR's 10 and had both of the game's yellow cards.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Railsplitters snap a five game losing streak to the Bears today.
- The last time Lincoln Memorial won in Hickory was a 3-2 victory in September of 2015.
- This is the second straight year LR and LMU opened SAC play against each other.
UP NEXT: The 2024 National Champions and the current #1 team in the nation, Lynn, comes to Hickory on Monday afternoon for a huge non-conference tilt inside Moretz Sports Athletic Complex. Lynn is currently 2-0 to open up their title defense and has wins over Tusculum and West Alabama. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:00 PM.
