Savannah, Ga.----Wingate University sophomore midfielder Conor Gronbach (Cary, N.C.) and sophomore attack Alex Llerandi (Marietta, Ga.) tallied two goals each to lead the Bulldogs to an 11-8 neutral site win over the Florida Tech Panthers from Optimist Field. Nine total Bulldogs found the back of the nets in the WU victory. Llerandi is now tied for the team lead with four goals, while Gronbach is second on the Bulldog scoring charts with three scores.
 
Wingate improves to 2-0 overall, while Florida Tech falls to 1-2 in the early season. The Bulldogs return to Graham Gill Field at the Irwin Belk Track Complex this Friday, Feb. 24 for a non-conference encounter versus Florida Southern College. First face-off is slated for 4 p.m. The Panthers travel to Mount Olive Saturday, Feb. 25 for a noon face-off.
 
"Florida Tech is one heck of a team and they played a hard-fought game," Wingate head men's lacrosse coach Tim Boyle says. "We came out fast with a great deal of emotion and confidence. We were able to set the tone early and capitalize on some mistakes on their end."
 
The Wingate Bulldogs jumped out to the early 2-0 advantage on back-to-back goals from sophomore midfielder Daniel Godwin (Greensboro, N.C.) and Gronbach with 7:17 left in the first quarter. Florida Tech answered with a score from senior midfielder Austin Zugelter (Vero Beach, Fla.) at the 4:38 mark to make it 2-1, but the 'Dogs responded with three consecutive tallies to grab a 5-1 advantage with 11:18 remaining in the second stanza.
 
The Panthers ended the rally with a goal from redshirt senior attack Nick Wynne (Sykesville, Md.); however, Wingate found the back of the net twice to close out the first half on tallies from Gronbach and senior midfielder Vinny Aiello (Centereach, N.Y.). The Bulldogs led 7-2 at the halftime intermission.
 
With Wingate leading by a commanding margin of 11-4 with 12:29 on the fourth quarter clock, Florida Tech attempted a furious comeback with four straight goals to trim the deficit down to 11-8 with 3:23 remaining in the frame. The Bulldog defense would hold strong for the final minutes and maintain the three-goal victory.
 
Aiello, senior attack Tanner Kotch (Butler, Pa.), junior defenseman Marc James (Silver Spring, Md.) and redshirt senior attack Ryan Vogrig (Vancouver, B.C.) each totaled one goal in the contest for their first tallies of the 2017 campaign. Godwin finished with one score to move his total to two markers in his second-year season. WU senior attack Austin Murphy (Orillia, Ontario) also posted one goal to tie Llerandi with four tallies this year.
 
Zugelter led Florida Tech with four goals on the afternoon, while junior midfielder Dylan Riley (Windsor, Ontario) finished with two scores. Redshirt senior attack Nike Wynne (Sykesville, Md.) contributed one tally on eight shots.
 
Wingate junior goalkeeper Will Sheridan (Woodstock, Ga.) posted 12 saves to earn the win and improve his record to 2-0. He went the distance Sunday. Florida Tech junior goalie Daniel Flock (Ellicott City, Md.) totaled nine saves and took the loss. He also played the full 60 minutes.
 
"Our defense and goalie played a strong game," Boyle says. "Our man-down unit also had a strong performance. We are pleased with our progress, but know that we need to get better each and every day."
 
(Wingate University athletic media relations/sports network student assistant Jackson Kaplan contributed this article. A sophomore from Raleigh, Kaplan is a Communication Studies major at Wingate.)