Women's Soccer | 10/30/2017 10:39:00 AM

Championship Central

Rock Hill, S.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs are the number two seed in this week's South Atlantic Conference women's soccer tournament, which begins Tuesday evening. Wingate will host seventh-seeded Catawba at 5 p.m. on ESPN3. The Bulldogs enter the postseason at 9-3 overall after going 8-2 in league play. Wingate is looking to advance to the SAC Tournament championship match for the eighth consecutive season.

Wingate has been right in the middle of the SAC title race each of the last eight seasons. The 'Dogs have won at least eight league matches each of the last seven years and are the only SAC team to win seven or more conference contests in each of the last eight years. The Bulldogs have finished no more than a game and a half out of first place since 2009. Wingate is 64-12-5 in league play since the start of the 2010 season, with an appearance in the SAC title match every season. The Bulldogs are 15-4-2 in the SAC Tournament since 2010, outscoring opponents 37-18.  

The Bulldogs are the league leaders in goals-against average for the fourth consecutive season. Wingate has allowed only seven goals in 12 matches this year, compiling a 0.55 goals-against average. The 'Dogs have allowed a league-low four goals in SAC contests this season. Senior goalkeeper Alexis Jones (Midway Park, N.C.) is the SAC leader in save percentage for the third straight year, ranking second in goals-against average. Wingate has allowed just five goals in its last 12 SAC Tournament matches.

The Wingate offense has seen nine different players score, with six Bulldogs scoring multiple goals on the year. Senior Taylor Leyble (Jacksonville, N.C.) has five goals and four assists, ranking 10th in the SAC in goals and points. Junior Colleen Zickert (Arlington Heights, Ill.) has five goals and three assists, ranking 12th in the conference in points.

Junior Gabby Fleischli (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) has three goals and two assists, while classmate Kimmi Moore (Hubert, N.C.) has collected two goals and four assists on the year. Freshman Carly Veit (Pinehurst, N.C.) has a pair of goals and four assists as well, while sophomore Taylor Krakower (Wayne, N.J.) also has two goals on the year.

Wingate and Catawba met on Oct. 18 at Pride Park, with the 'Dogs prevailing 1-0 in double overtime on a Veit game-winning goal off a Zickert assist. The Bulldogs have won 10 straight against the Indians. The last time the two teams met in the SAC Tournament was in 2010, when Wingate prevailed 1-0 at home in the SAC Tournament quarterfinals en route to its first of seven straight appearances in the SAC title match.

The winner of the Wingate-Catawba contest plays the winner of the Queens vs. Anderson match in the SAC Tournament semifinals. That semifinal match is slated for Friday at 7 p.m. at Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, S.C. Wingate defeated Queens 2-0 this year, while prevailing 1-0 against Anderson. The SAC title match will be held Sunday at 4 p.m. in Rock Hill.

2017 SAC Women's Soccer Tournament

Tuesday, Oct. 31
4 p.m. - #8 Newberry at #1 Carson-Newman
7 p.m. - #5 Lenoir-Rhyne at #4 Tusculum
5 p.m. - #7 Catawba at #1 Wingate
5 p.m. - #6 Anderson at #3 Queens

Friday, Nov. 3 (Rock Hill, S.C.)
4:30 p.m. - NC/CN winner vs. LR/TC winner
7 p.m. - CAT/WU winner vs. AU/QU winner

Sunday, Nov. 5 (Rock Hill, S.C.)
4 p.m. - SAC Championship Match

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,600 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 35 minors, 12 career concentrations, nine pre-professional programs, master's degrees in accounting, business, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in education, pharmacy and physical therapy.
 
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. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past 11 years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 96 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate is number one in this millennium with 96 Academic All-America® honorees. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 105 lifetime Academic All-America® picks. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.