Lincoln Memorial Men’s Soccer Team Advances To Elite Eight

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- For a second straight season, Lincoln Memorial has won the NCAA Division II Appalachian Region Men's Soccer Championship with Sunday's 2-1 win over Carson-Newman. The region tournament was held at the Niswonger Sports Complex and Pioneer Field on the campus of Tusculum College.

The Railsplitters (18-3-1) advance to the NCAA Elite Eight once again where they will face Great Lakes Region champion Northern Kentucky next weekend. Carson-Newman ends its season at 15-3-2.

LMU scored a pair of goals just a minute apart to take a 2-0 lead, but had to hold off a furious Carson-Newman charge in the second half.

LMU keeper Brent Cole recorded 10 saves, including two acrobatic stops in the final 10 minutes as he was named the Region Tournament's Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

Guilherme Alves got the Railsplitters on top first as he blasted a shot to the right side of the net on a pass by Marcelo Galafassi at the 27:04 mark. For Alves, it was his sixth goal of the season.

A minute later, Nelson Pizarro sailed a shot from 30 yards in front of the goal and bent it into the top left corner for his 13th scoring tally of the season and the second in this year's regional. Pizarro was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Offensive Player.

In the second half, Carson-Newman applied tremendous pressure, spreading out the LMU defense. C-N out-shot LMU by a 20-9 margin in the second half, including 11-3 in the second half.

The Eagle pressure paid off in the 72nd minute when Alessandro Oliveira found the back of the next from 12 yards away to cut the deficit in half at 2-1.

Cole made save after save, including Omar Cooke's shot at the 73:43 mark which the LMU net-minder deflected wide. C-N's Lars Holstad looked to have the equalizer a minute later, but Cole punched the shot over the cross bar.

With two minutes left, Alves got loose on a breakaway for the Splitters looking to add an insurance tally, but his roller past C-N keeper Jordan Moore trickled just wide of the far post. C-N got one last shot as Holstad's blast from 15 yards away sailed wide with 62 seconds remaining.

Moore went the distance for the Eagles while posting a pair of saves.

LMU's pairing with Northern Kentucky will be a rematch of last year's national quarterfinal, which the Railsplitters were victorious 2-1.

Joining Cole and Pizarro on the All-Tournament team from LMU are Felipe Nogueira, Vitor Souza and Leonardo de Barros. The C-N quartet of Cooke, Holstad, Richard Marquetty, and Marcus Cabralis were also named to the All-Tournament squad, along with Bruno Conceicão (Tusculum) and Luke Mulholland (Wingate).

NCAA II Appalachian Region All-Tournament Team
Brent Cole, Lincoln Memorial
Felipe Nogueira, Lincoln Memorial
Vitor Souza, Lincoln Memorial
Leonardo de Barros, Lincoln Memorial
Nelson Pizarro, Lincoln Memorial
Omar Cooke, Carson-Newman
Richard Marquetty, Carson-Newman
Marcus Cabralis, Carson-Newman
Lars Holstad, Carson-Newman
Bruno Conceicão, Tusculum
Luke Mullholland, Wingate

Most Outstanding Offensive Player: Nelson Pizarro, Lincoln Memorial
Most Outstanding Defensive Player: Brent Cole, Lincoln Memorial