Men's Lacrosse | 3/24/2017 1:28:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The 18th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs look to continue their momentum when they host South Atlantic Conference rival Coker College in a crucial league encounter from Graham Gill Field at the Irwin Belk Track Complex Saturday afternoon. First face-off is slated for a 12 noon start. The Bulldogs defeated the Cobras 13-11 in last season's match-up in a tightly-contested battle on Mar. 26, 2016.
 
Wingate currently sits at 6-2 overall and 2-1 in the SAC. Coker is 3-4 overall and 1-1 in league play. The 'Dogs look to extend their current two-game win streak with consecutive victories over Lincoln Memorial Sunday and fifth-ranked Belmont Abbey Wednesday. Coker has won two out of its last three contests, but are coming off a 13-6 non-conference loss to Young Harris College.
 
"We are doing our best to prepare for Coker with a short turn-around from Wednesday," Wingate head men's lacrosse coach Tim Boyle says. "Coker is a well-coached team who will be ready to go. This was a battle of a game last season and we expect the same this time around."
 
Five Bulldogs have reached double-digit goals in the 2017 campaign with senior attack Austin Murphy (Orillia, Ontario) leading the charge, tallying 34 total points (15 goals, 19 assists). Murphy is second in the SAC with his assist total and third in the league standings in total points.
 
WU sophomore attack Alex Llerandi (Marietta, Ga.) ranks second on the Bulldog scoring charts with 13 tallies and five assists. Llerandi is coming off a career performance against Belmont Abbey Wednesday, posting four goals to lead all scorers.
 
Bulldog sophomore midfielder Daniel Godwin (Greensboro, N.C.) adds 11 total goals, while junior attack Jeremy Sullivan (Crofton, Md.) and sophomore midfielder Conor Gronbach (Cary, N.C.) have contributed 10 goals each. Godwin had a season-best four-goal performance versus Lincoln Memorial last Sunday.
 
WU junior goalkeeper Will Sheridan (Woodstock, Ga.) continues his break-out season with 107 total saves, which ranks second overall in the SAC individual standings. Sheridan also leads the league with a 64.8 save percentage and 7.55 goals-against average. Sheridan and the Bulldog defense also ranks tenth in NCAA Division II men's lacrosse in GAA and seventh in the nation in total saves.
 
The Coker Cobras are led by freshman attack Vinny Magro (Sugar Hill, Ga.), who has tallied 12 goals, while sophomore attack Garrett Kilgore (Fayetteville, Ga.) ranks second on the team scoring list with nine total tallies. Junior attack Rylee Marsh (Victoria, B.C.) has added seven scores, while three other Cobras have found the back of the net five times each on the season. Coker senior goalkeeper Anthony Malik (Knoxville, Md.) has started all seven games in the cage for the Cobras, tallying 79 total saves with a 49.1 save percentage.
 
The Wingate Bulldogs enter the Coker match-up with confidence after earning their first victory over a top-five team in nine years with an 11-7 victory over fifth-ranked Belmont Abbey College Wednesday afternoon. The 'Dogs also claimed their first win over the Crusaders since 2012. The team's last triumph over a top-five team was March 1, 2008, when Wingate defeated number-three Mercyhurst University.
 
In the Belmont Abbey contest, Llerandi tallied a game-high four goals, while Gronbach and redshirt senior attack Ryan Vogrig (Vancouver, B.C.) each contributed two tallies to support Llerandi's efforts. The Bulldogs trailed 1-0 to begin the game, but answered with three straight goals to grab the 3-1 advantage at the end of the first quarter. They never trailed again.
 
Coker began the 2017 campaign with a 16-7 victory over Chowan University before losing three straight games. The Cobras then rebounded with back-to-back triumphs over Brevard and Shorter University. Coker fell to Young Harris on the road last Sunday in its most recent contest and look to bounce-back versus Wingate this weekend.
 
"We will need to bring our best at all times and compete for every play," Boyle says. "We hope to come out fast and intense, along with continuing 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.)