Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs will be the number two seed in this week’s Food Lion Women’s Soccer SAC Tournament, which begins Wednesday afternoon. The Bulldogs will host the seventh-seeded Wolves of Newberry College Wednesday at 2 p.m. Wingate has won 10 straight games, finishing the regular season 13-1-1 overall and 8-1 in the SAC. The Wolves finished 7-7-4 overall and 2-4-3 in the conference.

The Bulldogs have been dominant over the last 10 contests, outscoring their opponents 33-8 in the winning streak. Wingate was ranked fifth in the most recent NCAA Southeast region poll. Six teams make the NCAA Tournament from the region, with the three conference tournament winners in the region earning automatic bids. The Bulldogs earned the automatic bid from the SAC last year when they won the 2011 SAC Tournament.

The Bulldogs are led by sophomore forward Jade Montgomery (Monroe, N.C.), who leads the nation with 18 goals this season. Montgomery also has six assists, piling up a league-best 42 points. She ranks in the top 10 nationally in goals, points, goals per game, points per game and game-winning goals. Montgomery had 15 points more than any other SAC player during the season. She has registered at least one point in each of her last nine games. Montgomery has seven games this season of notching at least four points.

Senior forward Shelby Forza (Pickering, Ontario) has seven goals and five assists, ranking in the top 10 in the SAC in goals, assists and points. Freshman forward Kalyn Meosky (Hickory, N.C.) has six goals and four assists in her first year at Wingate, while classmate Danielle Cremmen (Acton, Mass.) has four goals and five assists. Sophomore midfielder Katie Simpson (Indian Trail, N.C.) has contributed three goals and five assists in her first year at Wingate, while junior midfielder Chandler Murphy (Daniels Island, S.C.) has two goals and is tied for a team high with six assists.

The Wingate defense is allowing just 1.07 goals per game. The defensive effort is led by senior Kelly Moldenhauer (Mint Hill, N.C.), a two-time All-SAC and All-Region selection, along with junior Chelsey Horan (Waxhaw, N.C.). Wingate allows its opponents to take just 10.3 shots per contest. Senior goalkeeper Miriam Boucher (Calgary, Alberta) has 56 saves on the year, with a .789 save percentage. She has registered four shutouts on the season.

Wingate defeated Newberry 3-2 in overtime at home last month, with Montgomery netting the game-tying goal with just under five minutes remaining in regulation. Moldenhauer scored the game-winner on a penalty kick 2:15 into the first overtime. The Bulldogs out-shot the Wolves 34-13 on the afternoon.

The Wingate-Newberry winner takes on the winner of the Tusculum-LMU contest. That semifinal match will take place Friday at 4 p.m. at Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, S.C. The championship game will be Sunday at 1 p.m. in Rock Hill.

2012 Food Lion SAC Women’s Soccer Tournament

Wednesday, Oct. 31      
2 p.m.   #7 Newberry at #2 Wingate       
4 p.m.   #8 Mars Hill at #1 Lenoir-Rhyne
5 p.m. #5 Anderson at #4 Catawba
7 p.m.   #6 Lincoln Memorial at #3 Tusculum

Friday, Nov. 2 (Rock Hill, S.C.)
4 p.m. WU-NEW winner vs. TC-LMU winner
4 p.m. LRU-MHC winner vs. CAT-AU winner

Sunday, Nov. 4 (Rock Hill, S.C.)
1 p.m. SAC Championship Game

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Wingate University, ranked as the 6th “best value” in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves 2,648 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 34 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration, and doctorates in pharmacy and education. 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.
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 20 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past six years.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing private colleges in the 2000’s with 50 selections. Among North Carolina’s colleges and universities, Wingate’s 50 Academic All-America® honorees are first during this millennium. Wingate’s 59 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.