The Lincoln High School boys soccer team went into Tuesday's home match against Huron looking to show the rest of the Southeastern Conference that Railsplitter soccer had arrived.

Lincoln fell short of beating the River Rats, as Huron won 1-0 on a first half goal from Ryan Embree, but the Railsplitters proved to be a contender against league-leading Huron.

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Embree's goal came in the 28th minute on a cross into the box that Huron's Matt Ybarra ran under before making a fine first-touch pass to Embree, who buried the ball to the low far corner.

For Huron coach Reese Richardson, scoring a goal like that was a welcome sight.

"We've been struggling to get numbers into the box on crosses," Richardson said, "and today we were actually able to get on the end of one."

Lincoln (8-3, 2-1 SEC), after struggling for much of the first half to settle the ball and maintain possession, found more success in the second half.

Desperate to equalize, Lincoln played just two players on the defensive backline for the game's final 10 minutes, but Huron (7-1-1, 3-0 SEC) stayed organized and composed to stave off the Railsplitters' pressure.

"We have a lot of experienced club players at a high level," Huron senior Grant Steinhauser said. "Because of that we're used to high-pressure situations."

One of those players is Ybarra, who helped control the game for Huron. He ran from sideline to sideline from his attacking midfield position, beating defenders one-on-one to the outside, and creating numerous scoring opportunities for teammates.

Ybarra credited his teammates for allowing him to open up the game.

"Our team gives us a lot of freedom," he said. "We have a lot of good role players, they hold their positions well and it allows me to go side to side and have a lot of space."

Richardson said Ybarra was a big reason the River Rats are able to hold their composure so well as a team.

"Ybarra does a great job of keeping everyone calm on the field," said Richardson. "I think everyone looks to him for leadership."

Despite the loss, Lincoln coach Bob Stowe said he liked his team's performance and effort in the second half, but thought the game got away from them early on.

"I think we were reluctant to get the game rolling," Stowe said. "I play an Italian, sit-back-and-let-them-make-a-mistake strategy. It didn't work to our advantage today."

Helping keep Huron mistake-free was senior defender Marcus Spivey. Playing right back, where he is able to move forward to provide service into the box, Spivey stood strong, winning ball after ball to anchor the River Rat defense.

"Marcus has given us those kinds of efforts all season," said Richardson. "He is one of our more consistent players."

Spivey had the unenviable assignment of marking Lincoln's Mohammed Kaba on most Lincoln free kicks and set pieces, and was able to keep Kaba from getting on the end of balls for Lincoln.

But that didn't mean Kaba went without his chances. Kaba played in a holding midfield position for the Railsplitters, where he was able to help out in Lincoln's defensive efforts, win balls in the middle of the field, and push forward to create opportunities for himself and his teammates.

A prime example came late in the first half, when Kaba leapt at midfield to win an aerial ball played from Huron's backline, then ran on to his own header 20 yards down the field, outraced the Huron defense with the ball at his feet, and ripped a shot that smacked against the near post and out of bounds, nearly tying the game.

Despite the more organized and aggressive attack that Lincoln brought in the second half, the Railsplitters would not get a better chance at an equalizer all game.

For Huron, it was an important victory in a showdown of two top teams in the SEC.

"It's a really big win for us," said Embree. "We have the talent and ability to go as far as we can. It's good to get a good conference win here and keep rolling."

On the other side of things, Stowe liked what the experience would do for his team.

"We know now we can compete with a state-ranked team," he said. "It's just going to help us and make us stronger."

-- Bison Collins Messink