Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women’s soccer opens the 2011 season with five consecutive road contests, starting with a Thursday night match at Lander University (7 p.m. kick-off). The Bulldogs look to build on a historic 2010 season, when Wingate was 13-3-3 overall and 7-1-1 in the South Atlantic Conference. The Bulldogs advanced to the championship match of the Food Lion SAC tournament for the first time in school history.

Wingate’s first five contests will take place in a span of 17 days. Bulldog head coach Gary Curneen believes his team is ready for the challenge. “I would rather start this way,” Curneen says. “We’ve had more success in the program’s history…with a tough start. They’re all tough matches. I’d rather start this way and see what we’re made of and test players in that environment before hitting the big conference matches.”

Curneen feels the Lander contest will be a good beginning point. “It’s going to be a tough one…we’ve always had good matches against them,” Curneen says. “They are opening their new stadium, so we’ll be part of the festivities…it’ll be a big night.”                              

Following Lander, the Bulldogs face Georgia College, Nova Southeastern (Fla.), Queens (N.C.) and Mars Hill on the road. The Mars Hill contest is the SAC opener for the Bulldogs. “There are no easy games in the conference,” Curneen says. “It doesn’t matter who you play, it doesn’t matter where you play, you’ve got to do it sometime, so hopefully the games we have before (league play) are going to challenge us…so we will be accustomed to this level of competition. I hope by mid-September we’ll be in a rhythm.”

Wingate had three student-athletes make the pre-season All-SAC teams. Bulldog junior defender Kelly Moldenhauer (Mint Hill, N.C.) and junior midfielder Izabella Miranda (Plymouth, Mass.) earned first team laurels. Senior Kelly Adams (Matthews, N.C.) was a second team selection.

In addition to earning a spot on the 2010 All-SAC team, Moldenhauer was named to the Daktronics All-Southeast Region second team. The Daktronics All-Region teams are selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Moldenhauer scored a pair of goals for the Bulldogs last season, while anchoring a Wingate defense that led the league with a 0.72 goals against average. The Bulldogs surrendered only 15 goals in 19 matches this season. Moldenhauer helped Wingate notch a league-best 10 shutouts in 2010.

Miranda had six goals and three assists for the 2010 Bulldogs. She was second on the team in goals and third in points. Five of her goals came in conference action, while her sixth came in the Wingate’s 1-0 Food Lion SAC tournament quarterfinal victory over Catawba College.

Adams was third in the SAC with nine assists in 2010. She added five goals. For her career, she has 21 goals and 31 assists. Adams has five match-winning goals during her three-year tenure.

In the last three years, Adams and her three senior teammates have won 38 matches. Seniors Casey King (Danvers, Mass.), Hannah Holsclaw (Matthews, N.C.) and Megan Mastalerz (Elkridge, Md.) hope to finish their Bulldog careers on top of the league standings.

Curneen believes the best approach is to take one game at a time. “The toughest game we have this season is Lander, followed by our second game against Georgia College,” Curneen says. “We do want to peak at a certain time, but if we set ourselves on one game, then it’s a Cup final and it’s not.”

“We’re confident,” Curneen says. “We felt we were very, very close last year. We feel that we’ve strengthened the squad this year. We’ve lost five very, very good players and good people. We’re bringing in a good crowd. We’ve worked hard with the group we have, so hopefully we can take the extra step and win it.”

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a comprehensive university with more than 2,400 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. The university offers 32 undergraduate majors, 36 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 SPORTS WEEKLY

The Wingate University Bulldog Club sponsors Wingate Sports Weekly, starting Wednesday, August 31 at Hill Top Bistro in Monroe (602 E. Roosevelt Blvd.). The Dutch treat lunch begins at 12 noon. The first gathering will feature Wingate’s fall sports coaches (cross country, football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, volleyball). Wingate Sports Weekly replaces Wake Up with Wingate for the 2011-12 academic year.

BULLDOG CLUB CLAM BAKE SLATED FOR NOV. 4

The Wingate University Bulldog Club is hosting its inaugural Clam Bake at the University Lake Friday, Nov. 4 at 4 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 student intern Robert Cook wrote this article. A senior from Bradford, England, Cook is majoring in Sport Management with a Marketing minor.)