Men's Soccer | 11/6/2017 5:58:00 PM

Indianapolis, Ind.----The defending national champion Wingate University Bulldogs earned their fourth consecutive bid to the NCAA Division II men's soccer tournament Monday night, receiving the number two seed in the NCAA Super Region 4. The SAC regular season and tournament champion Bulldogs enter the NCAA Tournament at 14-4-1 overall after going 8-1-1 in the SAC. Wingate won its fourth consecutive regular season title to go along with its second SAC tournament championship in three years.

Limestone is the number one seed in the region and will serve as the other host school. Wingate is the two seed, with Lander earning the number three seed. Young Harris is the four seed, followed by Lenoir-Rhyne and Lincoln Memorial. Lander will face Lincoln Memorial Friday night in Wingate, with the Bulldogs facing the winner Sunday afternoon at Pride Park. Lenoir-Rhyne and Young Harris will meet in the opener at Limestone, with the Saints facing the winner of that matchup.

Wingate has faced LMU twice this season, prevailing 1-0 in double overtime in the regular season, while downing the Railsplitters 3-0 in the SAC Tournament semifinals over the weekend. Wingate and Lander last met in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, with the 'Dogs eliminating Lander in penalty kicks.

This is Wingate's fifth NCAA Tournament bid in the last six years. The Bulldogs won their first-ever regional title in 2012, while advancing to the regional semifinals in 2014 and 2015 before the national title run in 2016, when Wingate won all five matches without allowing a goal. The run started with a 3-0 win over Limestone, while a 1-0 victory over 2015 national champion Pfeiffer gave the 'Dogs the regional championship. Wingate downed Tampa 1-0 in the Elite Eight at Pride Park to advance to its first-ever NCAA Final Four. The Bulldogs won 2-0 over UC San Diego to advance to the national title match, where Wingate downed Charleston 2-0 to claim the championship.

The Bulldogs had a league-high seven players earn All-SAC honors, led by first team honorees Damian Gaona, Pablo Jara and Filipe Checco. Elma N'For, Elliot Cutts, Mattia Ditommaso and Mateo Correa earned second team honors, while Ditommaso was also named the SAC Freshman of the Year. Gary Hamill was named the SAC Coach of the Year for the eighth time in his career. 2015 SAC Player of the Year and All-American Jon Ander, who was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player at the 2016 NCAA Final Four, was named the SAC Tournament MVP on Sunday after scoring five goals in the three SAC Tournament victories.

Wingate is outscoring the opposition 45-16 on the year, leading the SAC in goals and points while also leading the league with a 0.81 goals-against average.  The Bulldogs rank in the top 25 nationally in goals, points, winning percentage and goals-against average.

The NCAA Southeast regional gets underway Thursday, with Lenoir-Rhyne facing Young Harris at Limestone. That winner will take on Limestone Saturday. Lander and LMU faceoff Friday night at 7 p.m. at Pride Park, with the winner taking on Wingate Sunday at 1 p.m.

The two teams remaining from the Southeast Region at the end of this weekend will advance to the region title match next weekend. That will be hosted by the top remaining seed in the South Region, along with the NCAA Elite Eight contest. The Final Four is slated for Nov. 30 in Kansas City, Mo., with the national championship game being held Dec. 2.

NCAA Super Region 4

Thursday, Nov. 9 (at Limestone)
TBA - #4 Young Harris vs. #5 Lenoir-Rhyne
Friday, Nov. 10 (Wingate University)
7 p.m. - #3 Lander vs. #6 Lincoln Memorial
Saturday, Nov. 11
TBA -  LR-Young Harris winner at #1 Limestone
Sunday, Nov. 12
1 p.m. - Lander-LMU winner at #2 Wingate

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,600 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 35 minors, 12 career concentrations, nine pre-professional programs, master's degrees in accounting, business, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in education, pharmacy and physical therapy.
 
With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past 11 years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 96 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate is number one in this millennium with 96 Academic All-America® honorees. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 105 lifetime Academic All-America® picks. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.