Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University junior attack Alex Llerandi (Marietta, Ga.) scored five goals, leading the Bulldogs to a 12-9 South Atlantic Conference men's lacrosse tournament championship game victory over number three Lenoir-Rhyne Sunday. Llerandi was voted the tournament MVP for the back-to-back SAC tournament champion Bulldogs.
 
Wingate redshirt freshman goalie Ryan Ahrens (Austin, Texas) had a career-high 18 saves in 60 minutes played. Bulldog senior attack Seth Grimwood (Huntingtown, Md.) added two goals and one assist. For Lenoir-Rhyne, senior midfielder Ben Corrigan (Alpharetta, Ga.) had three goals and two assists. Bear sophomore midfielder Eric Dickinson (Charlotte, N.C.) had two goals and two assists.
 
GAME INFORMATION
 
Score: Wingate 12, #3 Lenoir-Rhyne 9
Records: Wingate 11-5 overall, #3 Lenoir-Rhyne 16-2 overall
Location: Graham Gill Field at the Irwin Belk Track Complex, Wingate, N.C.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
 
-Wingate sophomore midfielder Joe Cooper (Raleigh, N.C.) had two goals for the Bulldogs.
-Lenoir-Rhyne outshot Wingate 40-24, including a 27-16 edge in shots on goal.
-The Bears had 41 ground balls, compared to 22 for the Bulldogs.
-LRU won 21-of-23 face-offs with senior midfielder Shane Gottberg (Mooresville, N.C.) winning all 21.
-Bear senior goalie Ryan Crompton (Frederick, Md.) took the loss. In 60 minutes, he had four saves while allowing 12 goals.
-Lenoir-Rhyne scored two goals on three EMO chances. Wingate had one EMO chance and did not score.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Quarter
 
Wingate led 3-1 after the opening 15 minutes. Bulldog freshman attack Bobby Padden (Cary, N.C.) got things started at the 10:07 mark. Cooper and Llerandi added first quarter goals for the Bulldogs. LRU junior attack Ryan Bell (Havre de Grace, Md.) scored the only Bears' goal in the first quarter, a man-up tally with three minutes left.
 
Second Quarter
 
Bell scored the first goal of the second quarter on an assist from Dickinson. Llerandi responded to make the score 4-2 before the Bears scored back-to-back goals by Dickinson and junior attack Joe Buduo (Shrewsbury, Mass.) to tie the score 4-4 with 6:32 left. Buduo assisted on the Dickinson goal, while Dickinson returned the favor on the Buduo score. Grimwood finished the second stanza scoring at the 2:48 mark to give the Bulldogs a 5-4 halftime lead.
 
Third Quarter
 
Llerandi scored three goals in the third frame as Wingate outscored Lenoir-Rhyne 5-3. Grimwood (1:13) and Llerandi (0:12) completed the third quarter scoring to put the Bulldogs up 10-7. Corrigan posted two third-quarter goals for the Bears.
 
Fourth Quarter
 
Cooper opened the fourth quarter scoring with an unassisted goal at the 9:20 mark, giving the Bulldogs their biggest lead at 11-7. Corrigan (8:51) and Dickinson (3:46) found the back of the nets to pull the Bears within two at 11-9. Corrigan assisted on the Dickinson goal. Wingate senior attack Jeremy Sullivan (Crofton, Md.) completed the day's scoring with 42 seconds to play.
 
TURNING POINT
 
Ahrens had eight saves in the first quarter, setting the stage for Bulldog defense.
 
NOTABLES
 
-Wingate head coach Tim Boyle has guided the Bulldogs to two SAC tournament championships in his two seasons.

QUOTABLES

Wingate head men's lacrosse coach Tim Boyle: "Our boys competed so hard today. They battled all over the field. We struggled at the face-off, but we didn't let that take over the game. They pushed LRU to the limit and forced them into bad decisions or rushed shots."
 
"Ryan Ahrens was a beast in the net again and Alex Llerandi found his shot again and came up big at the biggest moment. This is a great way for our senior class to end their career at Wingate. We wish Coach Paradine and the LRU team the best of luck moving forward in the NCAA Division II tournament."
 
NEXT ON THE AGENDA

Both teams will await word on potential NCAA tournament bids. Conference tournament champions do not receive automatic qualifications in NCAA Division II men's lacrosse.
 
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
 
Queens: Anthony Valenza
Lincoln Memorial: Michael Kessler
Lenoir-Rhyne: Eric Dickinson, Collin Lett, Shane Gottberg
Wingate: Mark James, Ryan Ahrens, Reese Orman, Sean Moran, Alex Llerandi (MVP)