Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University senior midfielder Paulena Dempsey (Jarrettsville, Md.) led all scorers with a season-high six goals to give the host Bulldogs a convincing 20-3 non-conference triumph over the Chowan University Hawks in NCAA Division II women's lacrosse action from Graham Gill Field at the Irwin Belk Track Complex Wednesday afternoon. Dempsey's second goal of the contest was her 100th career tally in the Navy Blue and Vegas Gold. The 17-goal win is the largest margin of victory in the four-year history of the WU women's lacrosse program.
 
Wingate improves to 8-2 overall, while Chowan is now 3-7 overall. The Bulldogs push their current win streak to three games. Wingate travels to Catawba Saturday for a South Atlantic Conference encounter from Salisbury at 1 p.m. Chowan hits the road to Erskine College to face the Flying Fleet on the same day and time.
 
WU senior attack Brittany Andrews (Bel Air, Md.) supported Dempsey's efforts with five goals to increase her 2017 season total to 39. Sophomore midfielder Emily Ketron (Mason, Ohio) and senior midfielder Laura Swanson (Plantation, Fla.) added two tallies each. Five other Bulldogs had one goal apiece. Chowan freshman attack Heather Orell (Imperial Beach, Calif.) scored all three goals for the Hawks.
 
The Bulldogs began the contest with five unanswered goals to grab the early 5-0 advantage with 21:45 left in the first half and never looked back. A free-position tally from Orell ended the WU run to make the score 5-1 at the 19:33 mark. Wingate then netted eight consecutive tallies to extend the margin out to a dominant 13-1 lead with 23:43 remaining in the second half of play.
 
Chowan answered with another goal from Orell to make the score 13-2 at the 22:15 mark, but the Bulldog offense remained hot with three more straight goals to hold the 16-2 advantage. Leading 16-3 with 11:05 remaining, the 'Dogs closed out the contest with four more insurance tallies to take the 20-3 lead. WU sophomore attack Anna Harbacevich (Charlotte, N.C.) and junior attack Madison LaBarbera (Colchester, Conn.) each scored their first goals of the season in the final Wingate stretch.
 
Wingate sophomore goalkeeper and back-to-back SAC Defensive Player of the Week Arion Pierre (Haymarket. Va.) posted two saves and got the win, improving to 8-2 overall. She played the first 30 minutes before being replaced by junior goalie Nicole Hinkle (Fallston, Md.), who played the remainder of the contest. Chowan junior goalie Shaena Ravenell (Baltimore, Md.) tallied six saves and took the loss. She played the full 60 minutes Wednesday.
 
The Bulldogs swept every major statistical category, outshooting Chowan 30-6. Wingate also held the 16-10 advantage in ground balls and 14-11 in draw controls. The Hawks tallied one goal on two free-position shots, while Wingate found the back of the net twice on five free-position opportunities.
 
(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.)