Women's Lacrosse | 3/10/2017 7:30:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs look to build on their best start in program history when they host South Atlantic Conference rival Lenoir-Rhyne University from Graham Gill Field at the Irwin Belk Track Complex Saturday afternoon. First draw control is slated for a 12 noon start. The 'Dogs currently ride a three-game win streak entering the critical league encounter. Head coach Caline McHenry Olmsted's squad looks for the Bulldogs' first win over the LRU Bears in program history.
 
Wingate is 4-1 overall, while LRU is 3-2 overall and 0-1 in the SAC. The Bears handed Wingate its second conference loss in the 2016 season, defeating the Bulldogs 18-9 from Hickory. LRU finished 11-7 overall and 7-1 in league play last spring.
 
"We have worked really hard this season in preparation for our first conference game," Wingate senior midfielder Paulena Dempsey (Jarrettsville, Md.) says. "We have a lot of potential this year and we are ready to come out strong."
 
Dempsey leads the Bulldogs with 21 total points in her final season in the Navy Blue and Vegas Gold (12 goals, nine assists). Dempsey averages 2.4 goals through the first five contests, including an impressive five-goal performance in the season opener versus Mount Olive. She ranks third overall in the SAC with her assist total.
 
WU senior attack Brittany Andrews (Bel Air, Md.) tops the Bulldog scoring charts with 16 goals. She scored her 100th career goal earlier this season. Andrews' 16 tallies is tied for fourth in the conference individual standings. She has averaged 4.6 goals in the last three contests with five tallies against Pfeiffer and a season-high six scores in the last game versus Charleston (W.Va.).
 
Bulldog freshman attack/midfielder Kendall Wells (Elkridge, Md.) is off to an impressive start in her first collegiate campaign, totaling eight goals and three assists. Redshirt junior attack Shannon O'Neal (Severna Park, Md.) has posted nine total goals, ranking third on the team.
 
Wingate sophomore goalkeeper Arion Pierre (Haymarket, Va.) has started all five games in the cage, posting 44 saves and a 55.0 save percentage. Pierre ranks second in the SAC among goalies with her save percentage, second in goal against average with 8.12 and fifth overall in total saves. Pierre's best game was against (then) sixth-ranked Rollins, when she posted a career-high 18 saves.
 
For Lenoir-Rhyne, senior attack Torrey Schwitkis (San Diego, Calif.) leads the Bears with 13 total points (eight goal, five assists). Freshman midfielder Alyssa Sack (Senoia, Ga.) has tallied a team-best nine goals on a team-high 20 shots.
 
LRU sophomore attack Gabby Sousa (Delran, N.J.) has contributed six goals, while sophomore midfielder Rachel Elmore (White Plains, Md.) and freshman attack Cathleen Gaffney (Allentown, Pa.) each add five tallies. Senior attack Kelsie Swanson (Baltimore, Md.) is second on the Bears with three total assists.
Bears junior goalkeeper Ines Flueck (Coppell, Texas) has started each game in the cage, tallying 39 saves and posting 8.57 goals against average. Her goals against average ranks third in the SAC.
 
Since falling to (then) sixth-ranked Rollins College (Feb. 26), Wingate has posted three straight victories while averaging 15 goals per contest during the streak. The Bulldogs rebounded from their first loss of the season with a convincing 20-9 triumph over Pfeiffer University (March 1). The 'Dogs scored 20-plus goals for the first time since defeating Newberry 21-10 last season on April 9, 2016. Wingate also defeated previously undefeated Mount Olive in its season opener by a score of 10-8.
 
Wingate then added a closely-contested 8-7 victory over Belmont Abbey in its first road encounter of the season. Andrews scored the game-winning goal on an assist from Dempsey with 1:53 remaining in regulation to secure the win. The Bulldogs followed the dramatic triumph with a dominant 17-8 performance over the University of Charleston (W.Va.) this past Tuesday. WU jumped out to the 11-2 advantage in the first half of play and maintained an 11-goal lead three times in the second half of play.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne dropped its season opener in heartbreaking fashion to Belmont Abbey in overtime by a narrow margin of 9-8. LRU led by as many as two goals, but the Crusaders rallied for the comeback triumph. The Bears responded with an epic 9-8 double overtime win of their own versus Mount Olive (Feb. 25). Alyssa Sack netted the game-tying goal with only seven seconds remaining in the second half, while also scoring the winning tally in the double overtime period.
 
LRU also claimed non-conference victories over Tiffin University 11-10 on March 2 and Pfeiffer this past Wednesday by a final score of 12-7. The Bears fell to the Coker Cobras in their SAC opener 10-4 last weekend. Schwitkis shined in both non-conference wins, scoring four goals against Tiffin and three tallies versus the Pfeiffer Falcons.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,200 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 10 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 88 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate is number one in this millennium with 88 Academic All-America® honorees. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 97 lifetime Academic All-America® picks. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.
 
(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.)