Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University junior midfielder Conor Gronbach (Cary, N.C.) had two goals and three assists, leading the number two seed Bulldogs to a 6-4 South Atlantic Conference men's lacrosse tournament semifinal victory over number three seed Lincoln Memorial Friday afternoon on Graham Gill Field. The Bulldogs will face Lenoir-Rhyne in Sunday's 1 p.m. SAC championship final.
 
Bulldog senior attack Jeremy Sullivan (Crofton, Md.) had two goals and one assist. Senior midfielder Seth Grimwood (Huntingtown, Md.) dished out two assists. For Lincoln Memorial, four players had one goal each. LMU freshman goalie Michael Kessler (Wantagh, N.Y.) had 19 saves in 60 minutes.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
Score: Wingate 6, Lincoln Memorial 4
Records: Wingate 10-5 overall, Lincoln Memorial 14-4 overall
Location: Graham Gill Field at the Irwin Belk Track Complex, Wingate, N.C.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
 
-WU sophomore attack Josh Ferentinos (Gaithersburg, Md.) had two goals.
-Bulldog redshirt freshman goalie Ryan Ahrens (Austin, Texas) earned his fifth victory in six decisions, allowing four goals and recording 10 saves in 60 minutes.
-Wingate posted 49 shots, compared to 27 for Lincoln Memorial. The Bulldogs held a 25-14 edge in shots on goal.
-Lincoln Memorial held a slim 24-22 edge in ground balls, while Wingate won seven-of-13 face-offs.
-The Bulldogs scored two extra-man goals (in five chances). The Railsplitters had two EMO chances, but could not convert either advantage.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
Wingate led 2-0 after the opening 15 minutes. Ferentinos opened the scoring with a man-up goal at the 10:52 mark, thanks to an assist from Gronbach. Grimwood helped Gronbach score his first goal at the 9:27 plateau.
 
Second Quarter

The Bulldogs outshot the Railsplitters 14-5 in the second stanza, taking a 4-1 lead to the halftime locker room. LMU senior midfielder Billy Kopsky (Smithtown, N.Y.) put the 'Splitters on the board at the 12:01 mark. Ferentinos (11:18) and Sullivan (3:00) tallied second-quarter goals for the Bulldogs. Wingate was down a man when Ferentinos scored. The Sullivan goal was the second of two man-up goals for the Bulldogs.
 
Third Quarter
 
LMU senior midfielder Adam Golia (Victoria, B.C.) opened the third quarter scoring at the 11:05 mark with his 54th goal of the season. Gronbach answered (on a Sullivan helper) three minutes later. The 'Splitters posted the last two goals of the quarter to pull within 5-4 on an unassisted goal by senior attack Jared Courchene (Sagkeeng, Manitoba) with 80 seconds left. LMU would not score again.
 
Fourth Quarter
 
Sullivan scored the game's final goal midway through the fourth quarter (6:47), thanks to an assist from Gronbach. The Bulldogs pelted the LMU goal in the final frame, outshooting the Railsplitters 15-3.
 
TURNING POINT
 
Wingate's defense set the tone early, allowing only one goal in the first half.
 
NOTABLES
 
-Both of two 2018 Wingate and LMU contests were nail-biters. The Bulldogs won the March 31 contest 12-11 at Wingate.
 
QUOTABLES
 
Wingate head coach Tim Boyle: "This was a hard fought game by both teams…very different from the first meeting. This was a tough, grinding-type battle. Our hats are off to LMU on a great season. Coach Kuhn does a great job with his players."
 
"We are very excited at how we played on the defensive side of the ball. Our defensive unit set the tempo for us today and led the team to the win. Ryan Ahrens did a great job between the pipes, frustrating their shooters. We have a short turn-around to Sunday and a very strong LRU team."