HARROGATE, Tenn. -- As the end of the year approaches, the Lincoln Memorial University athletic department will be counting down the top 20 moments of 2015. Coming in at No. 20 and kicking off our year-end countdown is the women's soccer team's Senior Day victory, which was sweetened by an unexpected surprise.
 
The Lady Railsplitters entered the final game of the regular season on October 31 needing a win or tie against the Catawba Indians to secure a bid to the South Atlantic Conference Women's Soccer Championship.
 
Regardless of the outcome, it would be the last appearance for the program's 10 seniors - Kayla Stephens (Keller, Texas), Lauren Dusold (Spirit Lake, Iowa), Krista Holka (Harrison Township, Mich.), Olivia Thompson (Melbourne, Fla.), Madison Rivard (Roanoke, Texas), Maddy Nagy (Viera, Fla.), Josefin Hedstrom (Burtrask, Sweden), Sam Davis (Spring, Texas), Kadie Soall (Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada) and Morgan Brinson (Southlake, Texas) - at the LMU Soccer Complex.
 
The first half came to a close with the game deadlocked in a 0-0 stalemate, but the Lady Railsplitters sealed the win in the 72nd minute when Soall notched her third goal of the season and the fifth of her career from a flick in front of the net.
 
The Lady Railsplitters would then limit Catawba to just three shot attempts over the last 19 minutes of action to hold on for the 1-0 victory and clinch a bid to the SAC tournament.
 
A celebration took place well before the match even began, though.
 
Per tradition on the final home match of the regular season, Lincoln Memorial honored its senior class during a pre-match ceremony. As the lengthy ceremony drew to a close, with family, friends and a large contingent of the LMU student body in attendance, Railsplitter men's soccer alum Dylan Burnett proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Madison Rivard, and she said yes. Rivard, who made 46 appearances on the pitch in her four seasons with the Lady Railsplitters, was then swarmed at midfield by her jubilant teammates.
 


The top 20 moments of 2015 countdown rolls along on Friday with No. 19.