Greeneville, Tenn.----Wingate University junior midfielder Conor Gronbach (Cary, N.C.) continued a big week, scoring two goals and dishing out a game-high five assists as the Bulldogs defeated Tusculum College 13-9 in South Atlantic Conference men's lacrosse action at Pioneer Field. Gronbach has 13 points in Wingate's last two road games, as he posted four goals and two assists in the Bulldogs' 11-10 SAC triumph at Coker Wednesday.
 
Bulldog senior attack Seth Grimwood (Huntingtown, Md.) had three goals for the visitors. Wingate junior midfielder Wyatt Weiseman (Jensen Beach, Fla.) won 18-of-25 face-offs. WU redshirt freshman goalie Ryan Ahrens (Austin, Texas) played 60 minutes with seven saves and nine goals allowed. Seven players scored goals for Tusculum with senior midfielder Nate Wade (Victoria, B.C.) and sophomore attack Liam MacDonald (Coquitlam, B.C.) posting two goals each.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
Score: Wingate 13, Tusculum 9
Records: Wingate 8-5 overall (6-1 SAC), Tusculum 4-8 overall (2-5 SAC)
Location: Pioneer Field, Greeneville, Tenn.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
 
-WU freshman attack Bobby Padden (Cary, N.C.) matched Gronbach with two goals.
-The Bulldogs held the host Pioneers to three first-half goals.
-Wingate outshot Tusculum 38-27, including a 13-7 advantage in the third quarter when the Bulldogs put the game away.
-The defending SAC tournament champions collected 30 ground balls, compared to 17 for the TC Pioneers.
-Tusculum used two goalies. Sophomore goalie Ryan Pickering (West Haven, Conn.) took the loss. In 33-plus minutes, he surrendered 11 goals and notched five saves.
-Both teams scored one extra-man goal.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
Wingate senior long-stick middie Marc James (Silver Spring, Md.) scored the game-winning goal with 3:21 to play. His unassisted tally made the score 3-2 Bulldogs. The visitors led 4-2 after the opening 15 minutes.
 
Second Quarter
 
The second stanza was big Saturday, as the Bulldogs outscored the Pioneers 3-1 in the frame. Gronbach and Grimwood sandwiched goals around a score by freshman Reese Orman (Apple Valley, Minn.). Nate Wade concluded the first half scoring with 47 seconds to play, making the score 7-3 Wingate at intermission.
 
Third Quarter
 
Wingate put together a 4-0 run to start the third quarter. Four different players found the back of the nets with Weiseman concluding the flurry at the 11:20 mark. The Bulldogs led 11-3 at this point.
 
Fourth Quarter
 
Tusculum outscored Wingate 4-1 in the final frame, but the Pioneers would get no closer than the final margin down the stretch.
 
TURNING POINT
 
The 4-0 start of the third quarter put the game out of reach.
 
NOTABLES
 
-The Bulldogs have won four games in a row and six of their last seven contests.
 
QUOTABLES
 
Wingate head coach Tim Boyle: "This was a solid road win today at Tusculum. We had big games from Seth Grimwood and Conor Gronbach which helped get us out to an early lead. The defense held their top scorers down early and frustrated them for much of the game."
 
"Wyatt Weiseman had another outstanding performance at face-off X to help us build a lead and stop any runs which Tusculum put together. We have to get back to work for a huge home game against Queens next week. It is going to take all of our efforts to be successful against a very strong Queens team…which is coming to our place on a big winning game streak."

NEXT ON THE HORIZON

Wingate concludes its 2018 regular season with a huge showdown against visiting Queens University of Charlotte Saturday, April 21. Game time at Graham Gill Field is slated for 4 p.m. Tusculum hits the road the same day, traveling to Catawba for a 7 p.m. encounter.