Railsplitters Knock Off Sixteenth-Ranked Tusculum To Open Conference Schedule
September 16, 2009
HARROGATE, TN - The Lincoln Memorial University men's soccer team got back on the winning track Wendesday afternoon when it defeated the No. 16 nationally ranked Pioneers of Tusculum College 2-0 in both team's first South Atlantic Conference match of the year.
Both Railsplitter goals came early in the match. The first time LMU found nylon was when senior forward Willian Moura (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) found junior forward Jimmy Vandenhurk (Walland, TN) with a pass from the right side and Vandenhurk chipped it past the keeper to put LMU on top 1-0 only 3:03 into the match. Less than seven minutes later, LMU struck paydirt again when Vandenhurk expressed his thanks to Moura by slipping a pass to the right front side of the goal and Moura scored effortlessly to give the Railsplitters a 2-0 lead.
Although neither team scored another goal throughout the remainder of the match, and the statistics show that the shots, shots-on-goal and the goalkeeper saves were relatively even, it was LMU that afforded itself the win by using precise ball control for nearly 90 minutes. From a spectators view, it appeared that LMU dictated nearly every run or opportunity in both the first and second half despite not scoring in the final 80 minutes of play.
LMU goalkeeper Michael Watkins (Statesville, NC) finished the afternoon with five saves and no goals against, while the Railsplitter team got credit for two saves. Tusculum College keeper Lance Moore also had a strong performance in the net, recording five saves and had two goals against in the first 10 minutes of the match.
Now 4-2 on the season and 1-0 in the South Atlantic Conference, the Railsplitters will have until Monday to prepare for region opponent Clayton State University. The Railsplitters and Clayton State will square off at 4:00 p.m. Monday on the LMU campus, while Tusculum (4-1-1) will host Gulf South Conference opponent Montevallo this Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in Greeneville, Tennessee.
