GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Lincoln Memorial University scored three unanswered goals to pick up a 3-1 victory over Tusculum University in South Atlantic Conference women's soccer action Wednesday evening at Pioneer Field.
Alicia Bevins scored two goals and assisted on one from Ellie Bowen for the Railsplitters (6-2-1, 2-0-1 SAC), who trailed 1-0 after a goal from the Pioneers' Hannah Deakins in the 37th minute. Tusculum (1-5-1, 1-4-0 SAC) was outshot 19-7 in the match and leaned on the play of goalkeeper Grayson Patterson, who matched her season high with 10 saves.
Bevins scored in the 40th and 76th minutes while Bowen's goal in the 82nd minute gave Lincoln Memorial a two-goal margin. The Railsplitters had an 11-1 shot advantage in the second half.
Lincoln Memorial had the first two shots on goal in the match, with Patterson making stops on Ryan Branson in the eighth minutes and Megan Snyder off a corner kick in the 10th minute. Tusculum's first chance came in the 13th minute, when a shot by Joey Garrett was wide of the target from 15 yards.
Deakins nearly gave the Pioneers the lead in the 16th minute as she was able to chip a shot over oncoming Railsplitter keeper Bente Latenstein, but the ball went left of the far post.
Midway through the first half, gusty winds and a heavy downpour reduced visibility and saturated the playing surface, but the Railsplitters were able to put shots on goal from Merel Houweling in the 35th minute and Indy Meerding in the 36th minute that were both stopped by Patterson.
With the rain still falling, the Pioneers went up 1-0 at 36:51 as a shot from 15 yards by Sydney Grant was saved by Latenstein, but Deakins was able to beat the defender to the loose ball and slid home her first goal of the season.
The lead would be short-lived as a leaping save by Patterson on a shot by Houweling led to an LMU corner kick, and Bevins would find a loose ball in the box and score her third goal of the season at 39:28 to tie the match at 1-1.
The weather conditions improved in the second half, as Lincoln Memorial brought pressure in search of the tiebreaking goal. Patterson punched away a shot from Madison Amstutz in the 59th minute, while Grant went end-to-end and delivered a shot that was cradled by Latenstein in the 62th minute.
Patterson continued to keep the Railsplitters at bay, with saves on Houweling in the 64th minute and Branson in the 71st minute. Bevins would break the tie in the 76th minute as a long service to the goal caromed off a defender and off Patterson back to Bevins at close range, where she put home her fourth of the year for a 2-1 LMU lead at 75:44.
Bevins would make a bid for a hat trick with under nine minutes to play, but Patterson made the save on her shot from just outside the 6. However, Bowen was in position to put in the rebound for her third goal of the year at 81:25.
Latenstein finished with three saves for the Railsplitters, who had a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks in the match. Lincoln Memorial was called for 12 fouls to six by Tusculum.
The Pioneers will host Columbus State in a non-conference match on Sunday at 3 p.m. at Pioneer Field. The Cougars are 3-3-1 overall and 2-0-1 in their last three matches, including a 1-0 win over Lander in their last match on Saturday.
