Wingate, N.C.----The NAIA number one SCAD Savannah women's lacrosse team opened the second half on a 7-1 run, taking a 13-8 victory over Wingate University Sunday afternoon at Graham Gill Field. Seven different players scored goals for the visiting Bees, who erased a 5-2 halftime deficit.
 
For Wingate, sophomore attack Kendall Wells (Elkridge, Md.) and sophomore midfielder Casey Roux (Rochester, N.Y.) had three goals each. For SCAD Savannah, freshman midfielder Jo Mitchell (Tualatin, Ore.) and sophomore attack Sydney Knego (Potomac Falls, Va.) matched their WU counterparts with three goals each. Mitchell had a game-high three assists.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
Score: #1 NAIA SCAD Savannah 13, Wingate 8
Records: #1 NAIA SCAD Savannah 1-0, Wingate 0-1
Location: Graham Gill Field at the Irwin Belk Track Complex, Wingate, N.C.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE


-Wingate junior midfielder and team captain Emily Ketron (Mason, Ohio) had two goals.
-SCAD Savannah senior midfielder Taylor Vaccaro (Mooresville, N.C.) had two scores and two assists.
-Bulldog sophomore attack Joanna King (Lancaster, Pa.) led the hosts with two assists. 
-SCAD Savannah outshot Wingate 29-8 after halftime and 43-24 for the game.
-The Bees had 17 draw controls, compared to only six for the Bulldogs.
-The Bees scored twice on free position plays (two-for-nine), while the Bulldogs scored once on free position chances (one-for-six).
-Both goalies played 60 of 60 minutes. Wingate junior Arion Pierre (Haymarket, Va.) had 18 saves, while SCAD Savannah junior Maggie Lortz (Mason, Ohio) had eight saves.

HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Half
 
Wells scored all three of her goals in the first 30 minutes as Wingate took a 5-2 lead to the halftime locker room. Ketron (26:53) and Mitchell (25:18) traded goals to start the game. Wells broke the tie on a free-position attempt (18:01) to give the hosts the lead for the rest of the half. Wingate's biggest first-half lead was the halftime margin.
 
Second Half
 
SCAD Savannah scored the first five goals of the half to take the lead for good. Vaccaro scored the game-winner (on a Mitchell assist) with 20:31 remaining in the second stanza, making the score 6-5 visitors. SCAD Savannah junior midfielder Drew Dowgiallo (Lothian, Md.) ended the 5-0 spurt with an unassisted goal three minutes later to give the Bees a 7-5 edge.
 
Roux stopped the bleeding for Wingate, taking a King assist and finding the back of the net at the 15:35 mark. Roux's second goal cut the deficit to 7-6. The Bulldogs would get no closer as the Bees finished the half by scoring six of the last eight goals.
 
TURNING POINT
 
SCAD Savannah's spurt to start the second half was the difference Sunday afternoon.
 
NOTABLES


-SCAD Savannah is the defending NAIA national tournament champion.
-Today's game was the first head coaching contest for Wingate interim head women's lacrosse coach Kirsten Smith. The Lenoir-Rhyne graduate was Wingate's assistant last season when the Bulldogs went 13-5 overall (6-2 SAC). The 2017 team advanced to its first SAC tournament championship game.
  
QUOTABLES
 
Wingate interim head women's lacrosse coach Kirsten Smith: "This was a tough loss for the first game. We have an extremely young team, specifically on the attack side this year. We have many young players who will be getting a lot of playing time. I thought our defense played tough, but we have areas we definitely need to work on before our next game. Arion had some incredible saves and really held us up throughout the second half."
 
NEXT ON THE AGENDA

Wingate visits fellow NCAA Division II member Chowan University Saturday, Feb. 17 for a 12 noon contest. SCAD Savannah hosts Point (Ga.) University the same day. Game time at the SCAD Savannah Athletics Complex in Hardeeville, S.C. is slated for 2 p.m.