Rock Hill, S.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs will return to action in the 2012 Food Lion SAC women’s soccer tournament Friday at 4 p.m. at Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, S.C. The second-seeded Bulldogs, who are 14-1-1 overall after going 8-1 in the SAC, will take on the third-seeded Pioneers of Tusculum College in a rematch of last week’s regular season finale. The Bulldogs are ranked fourth in the most recent NCAA Southeast region poll, which was released Wednesday evening.

Armstrong Atlantic, the number one team in the nation, is the top team in this week’s regional poll. Regular season SAC champion Lenoir-Rhyne ranks second, followed by Columbus State and Wingate. North Georgia is fifth, with Lander ranking sixth. UNC Pembroke, Clayton State, Tusculum and Georgia College round out the top 10. Each of the three conferences in the region get automatic bid from the conference tournament champion. The top three teams in the poll that did not get automatic bids receive at-large bids.

The Bulldogs have won 11 consecutive games, including Wednesday’s 4-1 victory over Newberry in the quarterfinals of the SAC Tournament. Wingate has outscored its opponents 37-9 during the streak, scoring 3.4 goals per contest. The Bulldogs rank fifth nationally in winning percentage and seventh in scoring.

Wingate is led by sophomore forward Jade Montgomery (Monroe, N.C.). The SAC Player of the Year leads the nation with 21 goals. She also leads the nation with 1.4 goals and 3.2 points per contest, ranking second nationally with seven game winners. She has six multi-goal games this season, including three hat tricks. Montgomery has registered at least one point in her last 10 games. She has 10 career multi-goal games and four hat tricks, netting 34 goals in her career. Montgomery scored 11 goals in SAC contests this season, more goals than seven of the other nine SAC teams scored in league contests.

Senior forward Shelby Forza (Pickering, Ontario) is second on the team with seven goals and 19 points, 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 five goals and five assists. Junior midfielder Chandler Murphy (Daniels Island, S.C.) has two goals and a league-best nine assists. Senior goalkeeper Miriam Boucher (Calgary, Alberta) has 57 saves and a .792 save percentage, leading the Bulldogs to six shutouts.

Wingate advanced in the SAC Tournament with a 4-1 win over Newberry Wednesday. Montgomery led the way, netting three goals to register her fourth career hat trick. It is Montgomery’s second straight year notching a hat trick in the SAC Tournament quarterfinal contest. Murphy had three assists on the afternoon, two going to Montgomery and the third going to Cremmen. Junior midfielder Taryn Grivois (Murrieta, Calif.) assisted on Montgomery’s first goal of the day.

The Bulldogs and Pioneers met last Saturday, with Wingate holding on for a 3-2 win to lock up the number two seed in this week’s tournament. Cremmen scored the first goal off a Montgomery assist 2:29 into the first half. The Pioneers tied the game before halftime, but Montgomery scored seven minutes into the second half to put Wingate back on top. Cremmen added what would be the game-winning goal in the 77th minute, with Montgomery and sophomore midfielder Katie Simpson (Indian Trail, N.C.) assisting on the play. Simpson had two assists on the afternoon, while Boucher had five saves.

Wingate has advanced to the last two SAC championship matches, playing Lenoir-Rhyne in both contests. The Bears won the title in 2010, while Wingate prevailed 4-2 in the 2011 championship game, winning its first-ever SAC Tournament title and earning the first-ever NCAA Tournament bid in Wingate women’s soccer history. The winner of the Wingate-Tusculum contest will advance to Sunday’s championship game, taking on the winner of Friday’s Lenoir-Rhyne vs. Catawba match. The championship game will take place at 1 p.m. in Rock Hill.

NCAA Southeast Region Poll
Rank  Team                      In-Region  Overall           
1         Armstrong              14-0-0        15-1-1
2         Lenoir-Rhyne          13-1-1        13-1-2
3         Columbus State      15-2-1        15-2-1
4         Wingate                 14-1-1        14-1-1
5         North Georgia        13-3-2        13-3-2
6         Lander                    10-3-3        10-3-3
7         UNC Pembroke       9-6-3          9-6-3
8         Clayton State          9-5-2          10-5-2
9         Tusculum                9-2-2          11-3-2
10       Georgia College     10-7-1        10-7-1

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.