JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. -- The Carson-Newman men's soccer team dropped a 2-1 decision to Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday night in South Atlantic Conference action at McCown Field.

With the loss, the Eagles fall to 4-3-1 overall and 2-1 in the SAC, while the Railsplitters improve to 6-2 and 3-0 in conference play.

"Lincoln Memorial is a very good and very experienced team," C-N head coach Allen Vital said. "I thought that their experience showed out there, and our youth got exposed. We couldn't capitalize on the mistakes they made, and they were able to capitalize on errors that we made. But our guys worked extremely, and I was pleased with their effort."

The Eagles outshot Lincoln Memorial 15-7 on the night, including a 7-4 advantage in shots on goal. The match proved to be a physical one, as the teams combined for 53 fouls.

Forward Willian Moura (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) put Lincoln Memorial on the board early as he finished off a deflected shot from Aaron McKenna (Birmingham, England) in the seventh minute to give the Railsplitters a 1-nil lead.

C-N answered in the 41st minute, as forward Ben Backstrom's (Knoxville, Tenn.) goal off a deflected header on a corner kick tied the match at 1-1 heading into the locker room. Daniel Zitt (Morristown, Tenn.) and Adam Thomas (Morristown, Tenn.) were credited with the assist.

The Eagles controlled possession for most of the second half, outshooting Lincoln Memorial 8-3, but the Railsplitters took advantage of the few opportunities they had. Renato Segalla's (Santo Andrew, Brazil) header off of a free kick found the back of the net in the 55th minute, giving the Railsplitters the lead for good at 2-1.

Lincoln Memorial goalkeeper Michael Watkins (Statesville, N.C.) recorded five saves and gave up one goal to earn the win. C-N keeper Jordan Moore (Hendersonville, Tenn.) surrendered two goals and tallied two saves in the loss.

Despite the outcome, Vital was pleased with the support his team received from a turnout of more than 600 fans.

"I want to thank everyone for coming out and supporting us," Vital said. "It was fantastic. It was a great crowd and just a great atmosphere."

C-N returns to the pitch on Saturday at home in a SAC matchup against Lenoir-Rhyne. The contest is slated to start at 7 p.m. at McCown Field.