VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

St. Augustine, Fla.----The Wingate University Bulldogs will play in the NCAA Southeast Regional championship match for the second time in program history Friday night, traveling to Florida to face the top-seeded and third-ranked Flagler College Saints at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs enter the Sweet 16 matchup at 15-4-2 overall, knocking off a pair of top-20 opponents to advance to the regional finals. The Saints are 21-0-1 overall, one of two teams in NCAA Division II without a loss this season. The winner will advance to Sunday's national quarterfinal match in St. Augustine.  

ABOUT THE MATCH

Friday, Dec. 6 | 6 p.m. | NCAA Southeast Regional Championship Match
#7 Seed Wingate (15-4-2 Overall) at #1 Seed Flagler (21-0-1 Overall)
St. Augustine, Fla. (Flagler Field Complex) | VIDEO | LIVE STATS | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

THOUGHTS FROM ABBEY FRAIL

"The season up to this point has been fantastic. Obviously we were picked seventh in the conference and there weren't many people who expected us to be competing on the national level like we currently are. But all the credit to this team, because from day one we've just put our heads down and worked hard to become one of the top regional programs in the southeast. Going into Flagler, we've really just focused on fine-tuning our game and insuring that we're sharp and ready for what they're going to throw at us. We're all very excited for the opportunity to get to go down there and compete on this stage, and the experience is going to be very valuable for everyone involved."

THOUGHTS FROM JACK VUNDUM

"Our preparation has been spent with family and friends for Thanksgiving. This time off is so important to allow us to rest and be away from the intensity of the season briefly. Outside of that, we have had no special preparations, we have been back training with a good competitive edge and a smile on our faces. We look sharp and are looking forward to our trip to St. Augustine."

SERIES HISTORY

- This will be the second meeting between Wingate and Flagler all-time
- The teams met in the 1996 season in Florida
- The Bulldogs prevailed 3-1 on the road   

WHAT'S AT STAKE

- The winner will be the 2019 Southeast Region champion
- The winner will advance to the NCAA Division II National Quarterfinals
- That quarterfinal match will take place Sunday, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. in St. Augustine
- The Southeast Region champion will face the South Region champion
- The South Region title match features Embry-riddle and Nova Southeastern
- The winner of Sunday's match advances to the national semifinals in Pittsburgh
- The Final Four match is Dec. 12, the national title match is Dec. 14

HOW THE TEAMS GOT HERE

- Wingate is the only seven seed still standing in the NCAA Tournament
- The Bulldogs knocked off the two and three seeds in the regional
- WU opened the tourney with a 4-0 victory at #8 Lenoir-Rhyne, the two seed in the regional
- Taylor Krakower scored twice, with Chandler Hendrix and Brianna Ditillo also scoring
- The Bears had won 14 straight at home until running into the Bulldogs
- The 'Dogs took down third-seeded and 18th-ranked North Georgia in the region semis
- McKenna DeLong scored the lone goal off a Kaitlyn Cox assist
- Top-seeded Flagler has knocked off a pair of SAC schools in the regional
- The Saints took down eighth-seeded Catawba 3-0 in the opening round
- Flagler scored two second-half goals to rally for a 2-1 win over LMU in the regional semis
- The game-winning goal came in the 89th minute for the Saints, who trailed 1-0 58 minutes in

WINGATE NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

- The Bulldogs are making their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance
- This is Wingate's first appearance since the 2015 season
- The 'Dogs never made an NCAA Tournament before the 2011 season
- WU appeared in every tourney from 2011-2015
- Wingate is 4-5-1 all-time in the NCAA Tournament
- The Bulldogs won the 2013 NCAA Southeast Region championship
- The 'Dogs fell to top-seeded Columbus State in the 2014 Region semifinals
- This is Wingate's second appearance in a region title match

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS

- The Bulldogs were picked to finish seventh in the preseason SAC poll
- Wingate is 15-4-2 overall after going 7-2-1 in the SAC to finish second in the league standings
- The 'Dogs advances to the SAC title match for the ninth time in 10 years
- WU earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament
- Wingate is 7-1-1 over its last nine games, outscoring opponents 24-3  
- The Bulldogs have five All-SAC players, a pair of All-Region honorees and an Academic All-America selection
- Abbey Frail, Kristen DeBiase and DeLong earned first team All-SAC honors
- Hendrix and Jess LaFrancis earned second team all-conference accolades
- Frail and DeBiase earned All-Region honors from the D2CCA
- Frail is a first team Academic All-America honoree

WINGATE OFFENSE

- The Bulldogs rank third in the SAC with 2.15 goals per game
- Wingate ranks second in the league with 417 shots on the year, averaging 20.2 per game
- The balanced attack has seen 15 different players score at least one goal
- Krakower leads the 'Dogs with six goals, seven assists and 19 points
- Cox has six goals and four assists, ranking second in points
- Samantha Olson has five goals and an assist
- Hendrix also has five goals on the season
- Ditillo and DeLong each have four goals and an assist

WINGATE DEFENSE

- The Bulldogs lead the SAC and rank 19th nationally with a 0.56 goals-against average
- Wingate has piled up 12 shutouts on the year, ranking 22nd in the nation in shutout percentage
- The 'Dogs have allowed just one goal over their last five games
- Frail earned first team All-SAC and All-Region honors
- The graduate student ranks ninth nationally with 12 shutouts
- She is 16th with a 0.53 goals-against average
- DeBiase earned first team All-SAC honors for the Bulldog defense, making 20 starts on the year
- Hendrix is a second team all-conference defender, starting all 21 games
- The sophomore has played over 1800 minutes and also has five goals on the year
- Carly Veit and Kalyn Williamson have also played huge roles in the dominant defense
- Veit has started all 21 contests, with Williamson starting all 20 games she has appeared in

ABOUT FLAGLER  

- The Saints are making their third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament
- Third appearance in the NCAA D2 tourney all-time for Flagler
- Flagler joined the NCAA Division II in 2008
- The Saints have won at least one NCAA Tourney match in each of their three trips
- Flagler is 21-0-1 overall and ranked third in the country
- The Saints won the PBC regular season and tournament titles
- FC is outscoring opponents 73-15 on the year
- The lone draw was a 2-2 decision at North Georgia in October
- Flagler is one of only two teams in Division II without a loss this season
- The Saints lead the nation in winning percentage (.977)

FLAGLER OFFENSE

- The Saints rank third nationally in scoring offense, second in total goals, points and assists
- Flagler averages 3.32 goals per game and 2.91 assists per contest
- The Saints are led by Region Player of the Year Sara Sandberg
- She leads the nation in points, piling up 23 goals and 14 assists
- She ranks third nationally in goals and 14th in assists
- Charlene Nowotny is second in the nation with 20 assists and 17th with 40 points
- Annie Habeeb has netted 14 goals for the Saints, adding four assist
- Josefine Nilsen has added seven goals and eight assists on the year

FLAGLER DEFENSE

- The Saints are 29th in the nation with a 0.67 goals-against average
- Flagler has 10 shutouts on the season
- FC allows 8.9 shots per contest on the year
- Sara Carr is a first team All-Region defender
- Sarah-Lisa Dubel is the second team All-Region goalkeeper
- Hannah Dolores earned second team All-Region accolades as a defender

UP NEXT

- The winner of the WU-FC contest advances to the national quarterfinals Sunday
- The Southeast Region champion faces the South Region champion Sunday at 2 p.m.
- The South Region title match features Embry-Riddle and Nova Southeastern
- The NCAA Division II Final Four begins Dec. 12 in Pittsburgh Pa.
- The national title match is Dec. 14 in Pittsburgh

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 114 CoSIDA Academic All-America® selections. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 123 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.