Ashland, Va.----Mercyhurst University men's lacrosse sophomore attack Colin Greenway (Williamsville, N.Y.) scored the game-winning goal with 2:50 to go in the fourth overtime, lifting the 11th ranked Lakers over Wingate University by a final score of 9-8. The NCAA Division II contest was played at Day Field on the campus of Randolph-Macon College. Wingate falls to 0-2 on the young season, while Mercyhurst is victorious in its season opener. Both of Wingate's games this season have been against nationally-ranked opponents.

WU freshman attack Ryan Ormerod (Lake Mary, Fla.) and junior attack Austin Murphy (Orillia, Ontario) led the Bulldogs in scoring with three goals each. Mercyhurst junior attack James Crowe (Bingham Farms, Mich.) led the Lakers, as he tallied three goals. Laker junior midfielder John Plaskey (Beverly Hills, Mich.) and junior attack Keyan McQueen (Burlington, Ontario) both tallied two goals each.

The Bulldogs began the scoring with back-to-back goals. The first one came from freshman midfielder Conor Gronbach (Cary, N.C.) on an assist from freshman attack Kenan Reed (Winston-Salem, N.C.) with 12:59 left in the first quarter. The 'Dogs then took a 2-0 lead on an unassisted goal from Ryan Ormerod. The Lakers answered with consecutive goals later in the first half, thanks to scores from Crowe and Plaskey to tie the game at 2-2 with 4:20 remaining in the first quarter of play.

Wingate took a 3-2 lead with 4:14 remaining in the first quarter on a goal from Murphy, but the Lakers tied the game at 3-3 with only 23 seconds to go in the frame. It was a back-and-forth affair throughout the rest of the contest as Wingate had the 6-5 advantage with 6:01 in the second quarter on another goal from Ormerod. The assist was registered by Bulldog junior attack Seth Grimwood (Huntingtown, Md.). The 'Dogs maintained the 6-5 lead going into halftime.

Mercyhurst responded by tallying back-to-back goals to take a 7-6 edge with 8:12 in the third quarter. The Bulldogs then answered with two consecutive goals of their own in less than one minute. Wingate gained an 8-7 advantage on Murphy's third goal of the afternoon, thanks to an assist from freshman midfielder Daniel Godwin (Greensboro, N.C.).

WU maintained the 8-7 lead until a late goal by Mercyhurst junior attack Derek Richards (Rochester, N.Y.) tied the contest at 8-8 with 3:43 to go in regulation, which would eventually send the game into overtime. Both teams extended OT all the way into its fourth period until a Mercyhurst goal by Greenway sealed the deal for the #11 Lakers as they claimed a season-opening victory.

Bulldog junior goalkeeper Jacob Ormerod (Lake Mary, Fla.) had 16 saves. Ormerod's 16 stops represent the third-most saves in his career. He posted 18 against Rollins on March 4, 2015 and followed the next game with 17 versus Tusculum in a South Atlantic Conference triumph. Mercyhurst senior netminder Matt Wells (Fayetteville, N.Y.) posted 11 saves. Both goalies went the distance Sunday.

The Wingate University men's lacrosse team will be back in action Saturday as they hit the road to Belmont, N.C. to take on the Belmont Abbey College Crusaders at Alumni Field. First face-off is slated for 3 p.m. The Mercyhurst University Lakers will be visiting the College of Saint Rose Saturday at 1 p.m.

(Wingate University sports information/sports network student assistant Jackson Kaplan contributed this article. A freshman from Raleigh, Kaplan is a Communication Studies major at Wingate.)