VIDEO | Season Preview with Coach Boyle
2020 Wingate Lacrosse Ticket Info

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University men's lacrosse season gets underway this weekend, with the Bulldogs hosting North Greenville Saturday at noon. Wingate is coming off a 13-4 season in 2019, going 7-1 in league play to win its first-ever regular season SAC title. The Bulldogs backed that up with a third consecutive SAC Tournament championship to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history. Wingate finished the season ranked 11th in the USILA top 20.

"There's a lot of expectation," head coach Tim Boyle says. "Every year is new and this is a totally different team, which is the good thing and bad thing about college athletics. We lost some key contributors to graduation and brought in new guys we expect to contribute. Every year is a blank slate that we get to mold from the beginning. There's a lot of excitement, but we have a lot of work to do. We're the targeted ones now. Playing the role of the underdog is a lot easier than being the team with the target on its back. It's a different mindset that the guys have to learn and can hopefully understand. There's a big target on our back and hopefully we can rise to the occasion. I would say the strength of our team is the defense, that's where we have the most returners. Where we lack experience is through the midfield on offense."

The Bulldogs lost seven players to graduation last season, including a pair of All-Americans and five All-SAC selections. Boyle looks to this year's upperclassmen to fill in the leadership roles. "Having Daniel Godwin returning after missing basically the last two years has been huge," Boyle says. "Along with guys like Gary Pierpont, Dominic Piazza, Josh Ferentinos, Evan Langley, Joe Cooper and David Parker, they have done well adjusting into leadership roles. In addition, we've had some juniors like Reese Orman, Mike DiLegge and Bobby Padden step up. Between them, we have a core that will help mold the guys, hold them accountable and let them know what the expectations are in this program."

ATTACK

Padden and Piazza will lead the way for the Bulldog attack this year, with Ferentinos and Adam Vodovnik also playing important roles, along with freshman Willie Grieco.

Padden earned All-SAC honors during his sophomore season and is a preseason first team All-SAC selection in 2020. He led the Bulldogs with 28 assists last season, adding 28 goals to lead the 'Dogs with 56 points, ranking third in the SAC in assists and eighth in points. Piazza registered 29 goals and 17 assists last season, finishing third on the team in assists and fourth in points. Ferentinos added four goals and six assists on the season, with Vodovnik contributing two goals and two assists in five games.

"Bobby is coming off a great season and Dom had a breakout year for us," Boyle says. "I look for those guys to pick up right where they left off. Josh will step up into a big role this year. Adam and Willie are a couple guys who will hopefully step up and do good things for us. Willie has gotten a lot stronger since he's been here. He's worked hard and fits well with Bobby and Dom."

MIDFIELD

A trio of seniors lead the way in the midfield for the Bulldogs in Godwin, Cooper and Pierpont. Junior Liam Johnson and sophomore Zach Calarco will also play important roles, with newcomers Danny Riley and Daman Lingasin also contributing.

Cooper had 24 goals and seven assists last season, picking up 34 ground balls on the year. Pierpont collected nine goals and an assist, while Godwin had 17 goals and six assists in the 2017 season. He appeared in just three games in 2018, then missed the entire 2019 season.

"Getting Daniel back is major, with Joe and Gary also returning, it gives us some solid experience," Boyle says. "Calarco and Johnson are a couple guys we look to step up and have an impact this season. Danny will help out a lot. He understands the game very well, has the quickness and ability to step in and play right away. Daman has shown good promise both in our fall practices and this spring during preseason."  

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD

The juniors Orman and DiLegge lead the way in the defensive midfield, with sophomore Jordon King also stepping in to a bigger role. The shortstick midfield will be led by junior Mark Taccard, along with Parker and sophomore AJ Lohmuller.

Orman earned second team All-SAC honors last season and is a preseason first team all-conference honoree in 2020. He piled up 45 ground balls and 18 caused turnovers last season, adding 11 face-off wins. DiLegge contributed 27 ground balls, while leading the 'Dogs with 22 caused turnovers.

"Having Reese and Mike back is great for us," Boyle says. "We have more depth this year, with Jordon making strides in his sophomore season. Our short stick midfielders are also a solid group with Dave and Mark leading the way and AJ also getting some quality time for us."

DEFENSE

Juniors James Houston and Nick Guarino lead the back line for the Bulldogs, along with senior Evan Langley. Boyle is also looking for contributions from sophomore Tristan Drenner and newcomers Matt Griffin and Joe Chimienti.

Houston earned first team All-SAC honors last season and is a preseason first team all-conference selection in 2020. He had 33 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers for a Bulldog defense that led the SAC in goals-against average in 2019. Guarino started 15 games last season, contributing 15 ground balls and six caused turnovers. 

"It's great having both Nick and James back as starters," Boyle says. "James is a returning All-SAC player and Nick has been really solid for us. Evan will go to more of a full-time role after coming off the bench for us last season. We are hoping for contributions from Tristan, Matt and Joe. Matt and Joe are a couple of newcomers that have come in and shown great promise and will get a chance to contribute right away." 

GOALIE

Sophomore Alex Cordero earned honorable mention All-SAC honors during the 2019 season. He started all 17 games last year, leading the SAC in goals-against average and ranking fifth in save percentage. Newcomer Edward Erickson has come in and made it a tight battle.

"Having Alex back is good, but the job is up in the air," Boyle says. "Edward and him are battling it out in the preseason and it's still a two-man race."

FACE-OFF

The battle at face-off has been an interesting one in the preseason, with a pair of brothers fighting it out in junior Neil Ehinger and freshman Noah Ehinger.

"Neil and Noah have been battling it out since the fall," Boyle says. "It's probably the brightest spot between the fall and preseason. They've both been good and we have been really strong at face-offs in all of our scrimmages."

SCHEDULE

The Bulldogs will face one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Five teams on the schedule finished the 2019 season in the USILA top 20 (#2 Limestone, #4 UIndy, #9 Mercyhurst, #12 Queens and #15 Mount Olive) with two other opponents in Catawba and Rollins also receiving votes.

"I think this is the hardest schedule we've had," Boyle says. "It will bring on a lot of challenges. Just looking through the rankings, we play so many of those teams. It's going to be a tall task. The conference gets stronger every year and the non-conference schedule got tougher."

Wingate will open the 2020 season with four straight home games, starting Feb. 1. Against North Greenville at noon. Top-10 teams Mercyhurst and UIndy come to Graham Gill Field in February. League play begins March 7 when the Bulldogs host Lincoln Memorial at 1 p.m. Wingate travels to Limestone to take on the second-ranked Saints March 13. The SAC Tournament gets underway April 21, with semifinals and finals being held April 24 and 26 in Hickory on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne.

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 115 CoSIDA Academic All-America® selections. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 124 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.