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Wingate, N.C.----The 15th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs are the number three seed in this week's South Atlantic Conference men's soccer tournament, hosting number six seed Lincoln Memorial University Saturday at 4 p.m. in quarterfinal action at Pride Park. Wingate enters postseason play 10-2-3 overall and 6-2-2 in the SAC, while the Railsplitters are 6-7-3 overall and 5-4-1 in league play.

ABOUT THE GAME

Saturday, Nov. 9 | 4 p.m. | SAC Tournament Quarterfinals
#3 Wingate (10-2-3;  6-2-2 SAC) hosts #6 Lincoln Memorial (6-7-3; 5-4-1 SAC)
Wingate, N.C. ( Pride Park) | Watch | Live Stats
Championship Central | Tournament Bracket

SERIES HISTORY

- Wingate is 11-3-2 all-time against LMU
- The Bulldogs are 6-1-2 against the Railsplitters at Pride Park
- WU is outscoring Lincoln Memorial 24-11 in the all-time series
- The two teams played to a 0-0 draw earlier this season in Wingate
- The 'Dogs downed LMU 3-0 in the 2017 SAC Tourney semifinals en route to a championship

SAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY

- The Bulldogs have won four SAC Tournament titles all-time
- The four tourney championships are second-most among active SAC schools
- Wingate won the 2017 SAC Tournament title to go along with the regular season championship
- WU also won titles in 1994, 2002 and 2015
- The 'Dogs also have eight regular season championships, giving Wingate 12 total league titles

PREVIOUS MEETING

- The Bulldogs and Railsplitters met Sept. 28 at Pride Park, playing to a 0-0 draw
- Wingate dominated all day, holding a 21-6 advantage in shots
- The 'Dogs piled up 11 shots in the two overtimes, including five shots on goal
- The contest featured nine yellow cards
- Elliot Cutts led the Bulldogs with six shots including two shots on goal
- Jens Bergendorff registered a pair of saves for the 'Dogs

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS

- Wingate finished third in the SAC standings in 2019
- The 'Dogs finished one point out of the first-place tie
- WU has won six total SAC titles since the 2014 season
- The Bulldogs won the 2016 national championship
- The 'Dogs are the only SAC team to win an NCAA Division II national title
- Wingate is 7-0-2 at Pride Park this year and 13-0-3 at home over the last two seasons
- The Bulldogs are outscoring opponents 28-4 at home this year
- Wingate is ranked seventh in the NCAA Super Region 2 poll

WINGATE OFFENSE

- The Bulldogs lead the SAC with 46 goals, 33 assists and 125 points
- Wingate is averaging a league-best 3.07 goals per game, nearly a goal more than any other team
- The 'Dogs rank fourth in the nation in scoring offense and fifth in points per game and total goals
- The Bulldogs scored a SAC-best 24 goals during conference play
- WU also led the league with 18 assists and 66 points against league opponents
- The LMU game is the only game this season the 'Dogs were shut out in
- Wingate is outscoring opponents 22-4 in the first half; 23-9 in the second half
- Paul Ngongo leads the SAC with 15 goals and 33 points
- The freshman ranks third in the nation with six game-winning goals
- He is fourth in the nation in goals per game and points per game, ranking sixth in total goals and ninth in points
- His 15 goals are the most by a Bulldog since All-American Luke Mulholland scored 17 in 2009
- Ngongo has five multi-goal games this season and has scored 10 goals the last six games
- Cutts is second in the SAC with 11 goals and third with 25 points
- The All-Region honoree has 29 goals in his three-year Wingate career
- Daniel Kuper has five goals and is tied for the team lead with four assists, ranking third with 14 points
- Stuart Hendry has collected three goals and three assists on the season
- Mikkel Fahlen Bruun has two goals and four assists in his first year at Wingate

WINGATE DEFENSE

- The 'Dogs lead the SAC with a 0.84 goals-against average
- Wingate has allowed just 13 goals in 15 contests this season
- The Bulldogs allowed 10 goals in 10 SAC contests, ranking second in the league
- WU piled up a SAC-best eight shutouts on the season
- Bergendorff is second in the conference in goals-against average, ranking fifth in save percentage
- The freshman leads the SAC in shutouts
- The defense has been led by five freshmen, anchored by Owen Marshall
- Marshall has started all 15 games, playing 1292 minutes while adding a goal and two assists
- Devin Scully has also played every game on the back line for the Bulldogs
- Freshmen Niclas Wittur, Joshua Ochsenbein and Neophytos Scottis have all played over 1,000 minutes in helping Wingate lead the SAC in goals-against average  

ABOUT THE RAILSPLITTERS

- LMU was picked to finish sixth in the preseason SAC coaches' poll
- The Railsplitters went 8-4-4 last year, with a 5-2-3 record in league play
- LMU is 5-4-1 in the SAC this season
- Lincoln Memorial has alternated wins and losses over its last six games
- The Railsplitters closed out the regular season with a 5-0 victory over Mars Hill
- LMU's lone SAC Tournament title came in the 2007 season  

LINCOLN MEMORIAL OFFENSE

- The Railsplitters rank ninth in the SAC with 24 goals on the year
- LMU is ninth in the league in goals per game, ranking fourth with 67 points
- Lincoln Memorial scored 17 goals in 10 SAC games, good for seventh in the league
- Ueslei Silva leads LMU with four goals and two assists
- Danilo Seglio has added three goals and two assists
- Six different Railsplitters have two goals each, with Hunter Stroble collecting two goals and three assists

LINCOLN MEMORIAL DEFENSE

- LMU ranks fourth in the SAC with a 1.09 goals-against average
- The Railsplitters have notched five shutouts on the year
- Lincoln Memorial allowed a league-low nine goals during SAC play
- LMU posted four shutouts in 10 conference matches
- Robin Hermann is third in the SAC in goals-against average and save percentage
- He ranks fourth in the league with 65 saves

UP NEXT

- The winner of the WU-LMU contest moves onto the SAC Tourney semifinals next Friday
- The semifinals and finals will take place at the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews, N.C.
- Saturday's winner will face the winner of the Queens vs. Newberry contest
- That semifinal will take place Friday, Nov. 15 at 1:30 p.m. in Matthews
- The SAC championship match is Sunday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. in Matthews

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
A comprehensive, independent and growing university, Wingate serves more than 3,600 students in North Carolina. Founded in 1896, the University offers 37 undergraduate majors as well as graduate and professional programs. Wingate is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences. Wingate blends in-class exploration with out-of-class application to deliver an uncommon and life-changing educational experience.
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past 13 years. Wingate is first in the 2000s among NCAA Division II and North Carolina's colleges and universities with 113 CoSIDA Academic All-America® selections. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 122 lifetime Academic All-America® honorees. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com. Current news and videos can be found at www.wingate.edu.