Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University sophomore attack Kendall Wells (Elkridge, Md.) had five goals and one assist, lifting the Bulldogs to a 11-10 South Atlantic Conference women's lacrosse victory over Lincoln Memorial University Saturday afternoon at Graham Gill Field. Wingate never trailed in the contest.
 
Wingate sophomore midfielder Casey Roux (Rochester, N.Y.) added two goals and two assists for the home-standing Bulldogs. Lincoln Memorial sophomore attack Kennedy Buechner (Stafford, Va.) led the visiting Railsplitters with four goals and one assists.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
Score: Wingate 11, Lincoln Memorial 10
Records: Wingate 3-9 overall (2-2 SAC), Lincoln Memorial 5-5 overall (1-3 SAC)
Location: Graham Gill Field at the Irwin Belk Track Complex, Wingate, N.C.
 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

-WU senior attack Madison LaBarbera (Colchester, Conn.) led the hosts with three assists. 
-Bulldog sophomore attack Joanna King (Lancaster, Pa.) added two goals.
-LMU junior midfielder Casey Kelly (Ellenwood, Ga.) had three goals, while freshman attack Erin DePaul (Elkton, Md.) recorded two scores.
-Both goalies played 60 of 60 minutes. Wingate junior Arion Pierre (Haymarket, Va.) had 11 saves, while LMU senior Shannon Novak (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.) had 13 saves.
-Lincoln Memorial held a slight 32-28 edge in shots. Wingate held a 24-21 advantage in shots on goal.
-Wingate won 15 of the 22 draw controls.
-The Railsplitters had two free-position goals (in five tries), while the Bulldogs scored one free-position goal in the same number of attempts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Half
 
Wingate started on fire, scoring six of the first eight goals to take a 6-2 lead on back-to-back goals by Wells (11:45, 11:04). Wells had three of the Bulldogs' first six scores. Lincoln Memorial responded by scoring three of the last four goals of the half to cut its deficit to 7-5 at intermission. Buechner led both teams with four first-half scores.
 
Second Half
 
A Wells' assist helped Roux score the first goal of the second stanza (29:28) to give the 'Dogs an 8-5 edge. LMU answered with a 3-0 run to tie the score 8-8 on a DePaul goal (thanks to a Buechner helper) at the 20:26 mark. Wells scored Wingate's next two goals (15:17, 7:29) to give the hosts a lead they would not relinquish.  
 
TURNING POINT
 
Wingate's 6-2 start to the game gave the Bulldogs much confidence as the contest progressed.
 
NOTABLES

-Wingate and LMU recognized the Lax-4-Life movement in pre-game ceremonies.
-Wells has 43 goals on the season. She shares the SAC lead (in goals scored) with Coker's Faith Kent.
-Wingate wins its first one-goal game of the season. The Bulldogs are 1-4 in one-goal games during the 2018 campaign.
  
QUOTABLES
 
Wingate interim head women's lacrosse coach Kirsten Smith: "I am proud of a gritty win over a solid LMU team. LMU started coming back in the second half and we adjusted well on defense to give our attack more opportunities."
 
NEXT ON THE AGENDA

Wingate visits NCAA Division II number seven Limestone for its final non-conference game of the 2018 season Wednesday. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. Lincoln Memorial hosts Shorter Tuesday at 4 p.m.