Women's Soccer Championship Central

Rock Hill, S.C.----The Wingate University women’s soccer team looks to follow its best regular season in school history with a deep postseason run. The second-seeded Bulldogs will begin postseason play at home Wednesday night, hosting the seventh-seeded Catawba College Indians in a Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament first-round match. Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m. Wingate went 13-3 in the regular season and 8-1 in the SAC, good for its first-ever second place finish in women’s soccer history.
 
The Bulldogs and Indians met during the regular season at Salisbury. Wingate notched a 2-0 victory to earn its 10th consecutive win on Oct. 18. After a scoreless first half, freshman forward AJ Lightbody (Matthews, N.C.) scored from a corner kick by senior forward Kelly Adams (Matthews, N.C.) to make the score 1-0. Freshman Jade Montgomery (Monroe, N.C.) headed home an Adams corner with 17 minutes remaining in the contest to make the final 2-0.
 
The Bulldogs have won three straight over Catawba, including a victory in the 2010 Food Lion SAC tournament. Wingate’s first victory over the Indians last season came at home, with Izabella Miranda (Plymouth, Mass.) and Chelsey Horan (Waxhaw, N.C.) each scoring to give the ‘Dogs a 2-1 win. Miranda scored the only goal of the contest in the SAC tournament victory, as Wingate notched a 1-0 triumph in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs would follow with a 3-1 win over Tusculum in the semifinals, earning their first-ever trip to the SAC championship contest. Wingate fell to Lenoir-Rhyne 3-1 in the finals. 
 
Wingate’s balanced offensive attack has five players with at least four goals. Adams leads the team in points, with three goals and a league-best 12 assists. All 12 assists from the two-time All-SAC selection have come against league opponents. Lightbody, Montgomery and sophomore midfielder Chandler Murphy (Daniels Island, S.C.) have seven goals each for the Bulldogs.
 
Lightbody and Murphy have three assists each, ranking second on the team with 17 points. Montgomery is one back, with two assists and 16 points on the year. Senior forward Hannah Holsclaw (Matthews, N.C.) has six goals on the year, while junior forward Shelby Forza (Pickering, Ontario) has four goals for the Bulldogs.
 
The Wingate defense has been dominant, collecting nine shutouts on the year, allowing 1.06 goals per game. During Wingate’s 10-game winning streak, the Bulldogs went 563 minutes without allowing a goal. The Bulldogs notched shutouts in seven of nine SAC contests on the season, while outscoring league competition 26-5 on the year. Senior Casey King (Danvers, Mass.) and 2010 All-Region selection Kelly Moldenhauer (Mint Hill, N.C.) anchor the defense for the Bulldogs. Wingate is allowing only 7.6 shots per contest and has allowed only 62 shots on goal this year.
 
Freshman Ashlyn Hardie (Summerfield, N.C.) is 9-2 in goal this season, with 30 saves. She is allowing only 0.93 goals per game. Junior goalkeeper Miriam Boucher (Calgary, Alberta) is 1-1 on the year, appearing in six contests. She has 12 saves and a 0.93 goals against average.
 
Catawba enters the Food Lion SAC tournament 6-10 overall and 4-5 in the SAC. Alyssa Retundie leads the Indians with five goals and two assists on the year. Erinn Wescoat has netted four goals for Catawba.
 
The winner of Wednesday’s match advances to the semi-finals Friday night at Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, S.C. The winner will take on the winner of the Newberry-Lincoln Memorial contest at 6 p.m. Wingate beat Newberry 4-0 in the regular season and defeated LMU 6-1. The championship contest will be Sunday at 4 p.m. in Rock Hill.
 
WINGATE SPORTS WEEKLY

The Wingate University Bulldog Club sponsors Wingate Sports Weekly each Wednesday at Hill Top Bistro in Monroe (602 E. Roosevelt Blvd.). The Dutch treat lunch begins at 12 noon. The gatherings will give Bulldog fans an opportunity to interact with Wingate coaches and student-athletes. Wingate Sports Weekly replaces Wake Up with Wingate for the 2011-12 academic year.
 
BULLDOG CLUB CLAM BAKE SLATED FOR FRIDAY
 
The Wingate University Bulldog Club is hosting its inaugural Clam Bake at the University Lake Friday, Nov. 4 at 5 p.m. Everyone is welcome as the University celebrates Homecoming weekend. On the same day, the 36th annual Bill Connell Memorial Golf Tournament will be contested at Eagle Chase Golf Club. The shotgun start is slated for 9 a.m. Both the Clam Bake and the BCMGT benefit deserving student-athletes.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a comprehensive university with more than 2,500 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. The university offers 34 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, physician assistant studies and sports administration and doctorates in pharmacy and education.

Wingate students gain the tools and support they need to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. The campus community offers in-class learning, out-of-class experiences, strong mentors, a competitive yet caring environment and rewarding community service opportunities for a complete educational experience.

Bulldog student-athletes compete in 19 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past five years.

Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 39 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 48 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.

(Wingate University assistant sports information director Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)