Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University senior attack Austin Murphy (Orillia, Ontario) had game-best totals of three goals and four assists as the number 12 Bulldogs earned a 17-4 Senior Day victory over South Atlantic Conference foe Brevard College from Graham Gill Field at the Irwin Belk Track Complex Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs outscored the Tornados 10-1 in the pivotal second half.
 
Wingate is 10-3 overall and 5-2 in the SAC. The Bulldogs conclude the 2017 regular season campaign with a 3 p.m. league contest at Tusculum next Saturday. Brevard is 2-13 overall and 0-7 in the SAC. The BC Tornados wrap up their final year in NCAA Division II with a 7 p.m. SAC home contest against Mars Hill next Saturday.

"We were excited to come away with a big conference win on our Senior Day," Wingate head coach Tim Boyle says. "The seniors came out and did a great job of leading the team as they have done all season. We have another big conference game coming up, so we will get back to work when the boys return from Easter."

Murphy did not score in the first half as the Bulldogs slowly but surely built a 7-3 advantage at intermission. The reigning USILA/BSN Sports National Player of the Week, Murphy dished out three assists (two in the first, one in the second) for the hosts. WU junior attack Jeremy Sullivan (Crofton, Md.) gave the 'Dogs the lead for good at 3-2 (on a Murphy dish) with five minutes left in the first quarter.
 
Bulldog senior attack Tanner Kotch (Butler, Pa.) and sophomore attack Ryan Ormerod (Lake Mary, Fla.) scored two goals each in the first half to lead Wingate. Five Bulldogs scored a goal in the first half. Three BC Tornados scored one goal each in the opening 30 minutes for the visitors.
 
Sullivan found the back of the nets to open the third quarter (10:20), thanks to a Murphy assist as the Bulldogs took an 8-3 lead. Murphy finished the frame with a goal (on a Kotch helper) at the seven-second mark to make the score 11-4 Bulldogs entering the last stanza.
 
The fourth frame was 6-0 Bulldogs, as Murphy scored twice and four teammates tallied one goal each. Fittingly, Murphy completed the scoring on an unassisted goal with two minutes to go to settle the final margin. On the afternoon, nine different Wingate players scored a goal, while eight assorted Bulldog student-athletes handed out at least one assist.
 
Kotch and Sullivan matched Murphy with three goals each. The Bulldogs outshot the Tornados by a 51-17 margin. Wingate also hit the half-century mark in ground balls with 50, while Brevard collected 34. Bulldog sophomore midfielder Wyatt Weiseman (Jensen Beach, Fla.) won 17-of-25 face-offs Saturday. Wingate scored three extra-man goals in three tries on the afternoon.
 
Both teams used two goalies Saturday. Wingate junior goalie Will Sheridan (Woodstock, Ga.) played the first three quarters, allowing four goals and posting three saves. Bulldog senior Michael Connor (Stockport, England) had six saves in the fourth frame. He did not allow a goal. Two Brevard net minders combined for 14 saves.