Salisbury, N.C.----The fifth-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs opened the game with a 5-1 run, building a lead they would not relinquish on the way to an 11-9 upset victory over the fourth-seeded Catawba College Indians in the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference women's lacrosse Tournament on Tuesday at Shuford Stadium. The Bulldogs boost their record to 9-8 overall and advance to face the top-seeded Queens Royals in the semifinals. The Catawba Indians finish the season 8-9 overall.   
 
THOUGHTS FROM HEAD COACH ABBY WILEY:
 
"I am very excited about the second chance we received today against Catawba and that we were able to come out on top. We are a better team than we were the first time around and that showed today. A great team effort all around, Emily Ketron, Sierra Street and Casey Roux did a wonderful job on the draw circle. Kendall Wells had a great showing on the offensive side as well. I am thrilled we get another opportunity against Queens on Friday on our own turf!"

KEY STATS
 
- Wingate out-shot Catawba 22-15
- The Bulldogs registered 21 shots on goal, compared to 11 for the Indians
- WU had 16 ground balls compared to 14 for Catawba
- Wingate dominated the draw controls 16-5
- Each team registered one free-position goal
- The Indians had 24 turnovers on the afternoon, while the 'Dogs had 21
 
KEY BULLDOGS
 
- Kendall Wells led the Bulldogs with four points; she had three goals and one assist
- Casey Roux had two goals on three shots, also collecting four draw controls
- Emily Ketron and Sierra Street collected five draw controls each
- Five different Bulldogs registered one goal and one assist
- Eight Bulldogs scored in the victory
 
NOTES
 
- The Bulldogs improve to 3-6 all-time against Catawba and 2-3 at Shuford Stadium
- Wingate defeats Catawba after losing in Salisbury earlier this season
- 11th hat trick of the year for Wells; the Bulldogs are 8-3 when Wells nets at least three
- Third straight trip to the SAC Tournament semifinals for the Bulldogs
 
FIRST HALF
 
- After conceding the first goal the Bulldogs went on a 5-0 run
- Wingate's first goal came at the 26:55 mark when Wells found the back of the net
- Roux would net a man-up goal, then Nina Cifolilli scored with 25:11 remaining
- Morgan Akers registered an unassisted goal, and Ketron capped the flurry with 22:13 to go
- The Indians would score the next two, a Gianna Pezzulo goal at the 12:40 mark cut the lead to two
- Each team would net two more to finish the frame
- Wingate got goals from Wells and Paige Kamer to take a 7-4 lead
- A Brooklyn Tilley goal Catawba within two heading to halftime
 
SECOND HALF
 
- WU found the back of the net first in the second frame, when Becca Ruiz scored at the 26:28 mark
- Catawba got another Pezzulo goal at the 24-minute mark
- Nicole Hunt would net another for the Indians just two minutes later to make it 8-7
- Goals from Wells and Megan Amrein gave the 'Dogs a 10-8 advantage with 16 minutes left
- The Indians made it a one-goal game when Green found the back of the net with 5:21 left to play
- Roux scored the final goal of the game off a Ketron assist at the 4:26 mark to make it 11-9
 
UP NEXT
 
- Wingate will face the top-seeded Queens Friday at 11 a.m. in the SAC semis
- The Bulldogs are hosting the semifinals and finals of the 2019 SAC Tournament
- The championship game is slated for Sunday at 1 p.m. at Graham Gill Field