Box Score

Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University junior midfielder Luke Mulholland (Preston, England) scored two goals as the Bulldogs defeated the Railsplitters of Lincoln Memorial University 2-1 in South Atlantic Conference men's soccer action Saturday evening. The Bulldogs celebrated Senior Day, honoring senior forward Junior Nyemb (Douala, Cameroon) before the contest.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 11-3-1 overall and 6-1-1 in the SAC, securing the number two seed for next week's Food Lion SAC Tournament. LMU falls to 10-4-1 overall and 6-1-1 in the conference. The Railsplitters will be the number three seed in the tournament. The Bulldogs will host Newberry College in the opening round of the SAC Tournament next week.

The Bulldogs got on the board at the 26:25 mark of the first half, when sophomore defender Tom Poole (Birmingham, England) found Mulholland in front of the net, who headed in his first goal of the game.

Mulholland struck again eight minutes into the second half, giving the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead. Nyemb had the assist on the play. Mulholland now has 13 goals this season, with 11 of those coming in conference action.

The Railsplitters avoided the shutout when senior defender Brito Martins (Sorocaba, Brazil) scored with less than two minutes remaining in the match, netting his fourth goal of the year.

Each team had 15 shots on the afternoon, while the Railsplitters held an 11-5 advantage in shots on goal. Junior goalkeeper Joey Calandra (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) had a huge day, racking up 10 saves for the Bulldogs. Sophomore goalkeeper Michael Watkins (Statesville, N.C.) had three saves for LMU.

Both teams will host first round action next week in the 2009 Food Lion SAC Tournament. Wingate will host Newberry Tuesday, with start time to be determined. The Wingate Sports Network will provide a live video and audio broadcast of Tuesday’s game. The tournament semifinals will be held Friday at Rock Hill, S.C. The championship match will take place Sunday afternoon in Rock Hill.