Wingate, N.C.----After a four-game road trip, the Wingate lacrosse team returns to Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field Saturday afternoon to battle Deep South Conference foe Saint Leo (live PPV video, live stats from the WU Sports Network). Wingate went 2-2 on the extended road trip, with wins over Florida Tech and Lenoir-Rhyne and losses to Florida Southern and number six Limestone. The Bulldogs are 4-4 overall on the season.

The Bulldogs are led by senior attack David Lee’s 20 goals, three of them in Wednesday’s 20-5 loss to Limestone. Junior attack Derek Watts has contributed 15 goals and leads the team with 16 assists, good enough for second in the conference. Senior Bryan Bayliss has scored 12 goals and leads position players with 27 ground balls. Senior Danny Dlugozima has started every game for the ‘Dogs, recording 84 saves and 10:45 goals against average. On Wednesday, sophomore Taylor Womble scored Wingate’s 11th man-up goal, putting them second behind Mars Hill’s 13.

Saint Leo makes the nine-hour, 18-minute trip to Union County following an 11-8 home loss to Mars Hill on Wednesday, giving them a 3-4 record. Saint Leo had a 5-4 halftime lead in the battle of the Lions but saw Mars Hill break a 7-7 tie with 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The SLU Lions were unable to make a fourth quarter comeback. Junior attack George Proechel scored four goals and has found the back of the net 20 times this season and also leads the team with six assists. Sophomore Matt Obermeyer has 16 goals on the season. Junior Patrick Berry has started each game for the Lions, making 83 saves with a 10.95 goals against average.

Wingate and Saint Leo have two common opponents thus far. The Bulldogs defeated Rollins 16-8 in their last home game on March 3, while Saint Leo celebrated an 11-10 triumph over the Tars on Leap Day (Feb. 29). Both teams have also suffered defeat at the hands of Limestone, with Wingate losing 20-5 on Wednesday and Saint Leo losing 19-7 on March 3.

ALL-TIME MEETINGS
SAINT LEO LEADS SERIES WINGATE 6-3
 
March 11, 2006: No. 10 Wingate 15, Saint Leo 7 (Wingate N.C.)
March 9, 2007: Saint Leo 6, Wingate 5 (Saint Leo, Fla.)
April 20, 2007: Wingate 11, Saint Leo 6 (Salisbury, N.C. - DSC Semifinals)
April 8, 2008: Wingate 13, Saint Leo 7 (Wingate, N.C.)
April 18, 2008: Saint Leo 8, No. 9 Wingate 7 (Mars Hill, N.C. - DSC Semifinals)
March 3, 2009: Saint Leo 16, Wingate 11 (Saint Leo, Fla.)
April 17, 2009: Saint Leo 9, Wingate 8 (Wingate, N.C. -DSC Semifinals)
Feb. 24, 2010: Saint Leo 10, Wingate 3 (Wingate, N.C.)
March 9, 2011: Saint Leo 11, Wingate 8 (Saint Leo, Fla.)

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 42 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 51 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.
 
(Wingate University senior Steven Grandy contributed this article. A Sport Management major from Raleigh, N.C., Grandy won the District III Athlete Profile portion of the CoSIDA Fred Stabley, Sr. Writing Contest in 2010.)