Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University senior attack Jeremy Sullivan (Crofton, Md.) scored two goals in his final regular season appearance at Graham Gill Field, helping the home-standing Bulldogs take a 10-8 South Atlantic Conference men's lacrosse victory over Queens University of Charlotte Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs have won five in a row and seven of their last eight.
 
Sullivan was one of four Bulldogs to score two goals Saturday. Senior attack Seth Grimwood (Huntingtown, Md.), junior attack Alex Llerandi (Marietta, Ga.) and junior midfielder Conor Gronbach (Cary, N.C.) scored twice each to support Sullivan's efforts. Grimwood and Gronbach added one assist each to top Wingate's point charts with three each.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
Score: Wingate 10, Queens 9
Records: Wingate 9-5 overall (7-1 SAC), Queens 8-6 overall (5-3 SAC)
Location: Graham Gill Field, Wingate, N.C.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
 
-Queens freshman midfielder Kevin Barry (Raleigh, N.C.) had five goals. Royals junior midfielder Jesse Oliver (Markham, Ontario) added two scores.
-Wingate outshot Queens 48-26, including a 23-18 edge in shots on goal.
-The Bulldogs had 29 ground balls, compared to 17 for the Royals.
-Wingate redshirt freshman goalie Ryan Ahrens (Austin, Texas) picked up the victory. In 60 minutes, Ahrens allowed nine goals with nine saves.
-Queens sophomore goalie Anthony Valenza (Mt. Airy, Md.) also went the distance. He surrendered 10 goals with 13 saves.
-The Royals had four extra-man goals, while the Bulldogs had three extra-man scores.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
Barry started the scoring with back-to-back goals (14:21, 13:12) to put the Royals up 2-0. Gronbach answered with two scores of his own (11:46, 8:53) to tie the score. The two Gronbach goals kicked off a 4-0 Wingate run which ended with goals by Grimwood and junior attack Ryan Ormerod (Lake Mary, Fla.). Barry and Sullivan traded goals to end the frame, giving the Bulldogs a 5-3 edge.
 
Second Quarter
 
Queens outscored Wingate 4-1 in the second stanza, scoring the first four goals of the quarter. Four different Royals found the back of the nets. Queens freshman attack Quinn Tallant (Hagerstown, Md.) ended the 4-0 flurry with an unassisted goal at the 2:55 mark. Llerandi scored one minute later to make the score 7-6 Queens at intermission.
 
Third Quarter
 
The Llerandi goal to end the second quarter started a 5-0 run for the hosts as Wingate turned the 7-6 deficit into a 10-7 advantage. Four different Bulldogs contributed a goal to the 3-0 quarter with Sullivan ending the frame with a score at the 2:51 mark. Wingate led 9-7 after three quarters of play.
 
Fourth Quarter
 
Llerandi concluded the aforementioned 5-0 run with an unassisted goal at the 9:14 mark. Barry (8:08) and Oliver (1:30) responded for the Royals to make the score 10-9 with 90 seconds to go. Wingate shut the door to claim its fourth one-goal victory of the season.
 
TURNING POINT
 
Wingate's 5-0 run spanning the second, third and fourth quarters gave the hosts a lead they would not relinquish.
 
NOTABLES
 
-Wingate celebrated Senior Day during pre-game festivities, honoring five student-athletes: Sullivan, defender Chris Gazzio (Hershey, Pa.), long-stick middie Marc James (Silver Spring, Md.) and midfielders Zach Lord (Woodstock, Ga.) and Christian Hall (Darlington, Md.).
-The Bulldog seniors have 32 victories in the last three seasons.
 
QUOTABLES
 
Wingate head coach Tim Boyle: "Well, it seems as though whenever we meet Queens on the field it will come down to the last play. Coach (Chris) Kivlen and his team did a great job and played hard for 60 minutes. Our guys found a way and grinded out the victory. Ryan Ahrens had a great second half in the net and Wyatt Weiseman did a great job on the face-offs. We are proud to be the number two seed in the SAC tournament…and are excited to get to work for the SAC semi-finals at Wingate Friday."

NEXT ON THE HORIZON

As the number two seed in next week's SAC tournament, Wingate will receive a first-round bye. The Bulldogs will play in the semi-finals Friday evening at Graham Gill Field. Wingate is hosting the SAC final four (for both men and women) Friday and Sunday. Queens is the number four seed in the league tournament. The Royals will host a quarterfinal game Tuesday.