Belmont, N.C.----Wingate University junior Casey Roux scored a career-high six goals, with freshman Becca Ruiz adding two goals and six assists as the Bulldogs led by as many as nine goals en route to a 19-13 victory at Belmont Abbey College in NCAA Division II women's lacrosse action. Wingate improves to 1-1 overall, while the Crusaders fall to 1-2 on the season.

THOUGHTS FROM ABBY WILEY

"I'm very proud of how the team played today. They played Wingate lacrosse. They kept the ball moving well and the mentality high even in tough playing conditions."

KEY STATS                                                                                   

- Belmont Abbey outshot Wingate 32-31
- The Bulldogs won 21 draw controls, while the Crusaders won 13
- Belmont Abbey picked 22 ground balls, WU collected 17
- Wingate had 18 turnovers on the afternoon; the Crusaders had 12

KEY BULLDOGS

- Roux had six goals on seven shots
- Kendall Wells added four goals on the afternoon
- Ruiz collected two goals, six assists, and three groundballs
- Nina Cifolilli had two goals, four assists, and two ground balls
- Bella Pellet added two goals and two assists
- Paige Kamer also netted a pair of goals
- Arion Pierre notched 12 saves

NOTES

- Wingate is 2-2 all-time against Belmont Abbey, moving to 2-0 at Alumni Field
- First win of the Abby Wiley era
- Bulldogs are off to a 1-1 start for the sixth consecutive season
- The six assists for Ruiz tie a school record
- Wingate avenges a 14-13 home loss to Belmont Abbey last season
- Roux's previous career high was four goals at Coker last season
- Wells has at least one goal in 33 of 39 games
- Wells has had three or more goals 15 times in her career

FIRST HALF

- Wingate got on the board first on a Roux goal in the opening minute
- Belmont Abbey scored the next two from Marin Felsoci, taking a 2-1 advantage at the 24:58 mark
- WU would score six goals over a seven-minute span
- Cifolilli, Wells, and Pellet each scored a goal in the flurry
- Roux would score the final three goals of the run, giving the 'Dogs a 7-2 lead with 17:59 remaining
- The Crusaders netted two more from Allison Cline and Felsoci making it a four-goal difference
- Ruiz scored twice, pushing the Wingate lead to 10-4
- Belmont Abbey went on a 3-0 run, with Angelina Perrone and Kylie Eastman getting on the board with 4:03 remaining in the half
- The 'Dogs scored twice in final two minutes, stretching the lead to 12-7 at the half

SECOND HALF

- Wingate would net three goals in the first five minutes, with a Wells goal making it 15-7 at the 25:32 mark
- The first career goal from Kamer made it 16-8
- Belmont Abbey collected two more goals for Eastman, making 18-10 at the 8:25 mark
- Kamer would net another goal with 7:03 remaining to cap the scoring for Wingate
- The Crusaders scored the final three goals of the game, with Eastman and Felsoci finding the back of the net during the run.

UP NEXT

- Wingate will travel to Mount Olive Feb. 23 for a 1 p.m. start
- The Bulldogs hit the road to North Greenville on Feb. 28
- WU returns home to host Florida Southern March 8