Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University men's lacrosse team scored the first six goals of the second half and never looked back, taking a 12-5 South Atlantic Conference decision over Catawba College Wednesday night at Graham Gill Field.
 
Seven student-athletes scored goals for Wingate, led by junior attack Alex Llerandi (Marietta, Ga.) and his game-high three scores. Sophomore attack Josh Ferentinos (Gaithersburg, Md.) had two goals and two assists for the hosts. WU redshirt freshman goalie Ryan Ahrens (Austin, Texas) had 11 saves.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
Score: Wingate 12, Catawba 5
Records: Wingate 4-4 overall (2-1 SAC), Catawba 4-4 overall (2-1 SAC)
Location: Graham Gill Field at the Irwin Belk Track Complex, Wingate, N.C.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
 
-Catawba junior midfielder Joe Barber (Upper Marlboro, Md.) had two goals for the visitors, while senior midfielder Justin Warnock (Jamestown, N.C.) had one goal and one assist.
-Wingate had 21 shots on goal to 16 for Catawba. The Indians had 33 total shots, while the Bulldogs posted 28.
-The Bulldogs had one more ground ball (28-27) than the Indians.
-Wingate edged Catawba 11-9 in face-off victories. Bulldog junior Wyatt Weiseman (Jensen Beach, Fla.) won 10-of-13 face-offs Wednesday night.
-Both goalies played 60 minutes. Ahrens edged Catawba sophomore goalie Kevin Geiger (Flanders, N.J.) 11-9 in saves.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
Both teams started slowly on the offensive end, as Wingate settled for a 2-1 lead after the first 15 minutes. Llerandi gave the Bulldogs the lead for good with an unassisted goal as 25 ticks remained on the first quarter clock.
 
Second Quarter
 
The second quarter was a 3-3 stalemate as Wingate took a 5-4 lead to the halftime locker room. A Ferentinos goal midway through the frame put the Bulldogs up 5-2. Barber and sophomore midfielder Jared Richard (Palmyra, Pa.) scored back-to-back goals for Catawba to bring the Indians within one goal at intermission.
 
Third Quarter
 
Ferentinos had a goal and an assist for the Bulldogs in the third frame as Wingate stretched its lead to 8-4. A score by senior attack Seth Grimwood (Huntingtown, Md.) on an assist from freshman attack Bobby Padden (Cary, N.C.) concluded the third quarter scoring at the 2:44 mark.
 
 
Fourth Quarter
 
Wingate senior attack Jeremy Sullivan (Crofton, Md.) scored the first two goals of the fourth quarter (11:57, 10:54) to provide the Bulldogs additional insurance. Llerandi and Grimwood sandwiched goals around a score by Catawba's Warnock to conclude the night's offense for both teams.
 
TURNING POINT
 
Wingate's stellar play on both ends of the field was the difference Wednesday night.
 
QUOTABLES
 
Wingate head men's lacrosse coach Tim Boyle: "It was good to see both sides of the ball put together a full game. We haven't done this all season until now. Redshirt freshman Ryan Ahrens played strong between the pipes and junior Wyatt Weiseman returned from injury to go 10-of-13 on draws. It is always good to get a conference win, but we don't have time to celebrate with three-time NCAA Division II national champion Limestone coming to town on Saturday."
 
Wingate graduate student midfielder Brennan Asplen: "I think we really just wanted to come out with more fire tonight. We started slow and coach Boyle challenged us. It was nice to see us as a team rise to the occasion and get it done. I'm really proud of Ryan Ahrens…I thought he played extremely well."
 
"I think that the second half really showed us what we can do as a team. I'm looking forward to this weekend. We definitely have a chip on our shoulders, but I think it will be a big test for us against Limestone on Saturday."
 
NEXT ON THE HORIZON

Wingate hosts number nine Limestone Saturday at 12 noon. The Saints won the 2017 NCAA Division II national title, starting with an opening round victory over Wingate in Gaffney. Catawba visits SAC foe Lincoln Memorial Saturday at 3 p.m.