Wingate, N.C.----Belmont Abbey bolted to a 14-8 lead at halftime and made the margin stick, collecting a 20-13 NCAA Division II women's lacrosse victory over Wingate Saturday afternoon at Graham Gill Field. Riley D'Andrea had seven goals for the BAC Crusaders, while senior Kendall Wells had six goals for the host WU Bulldogs. Wingate is 1-1 overall, while Belmont Abbey improves to 1-2 overall.
 
KEY STATS

- Belmont Abbey held a 41-31 advantage in shots
- The Crusaders out-shot the Bulldogs 28-15 in the pivotal first half
- Belmont Abbey had 33 shots on goal to 21 for Wingate
- The Crusaders won 25 of the 35 draw controls
- Belmont Abbey collected 18 ground balls to 15 ground balls for Wingate

KEY BULLDOGS

- Wells has 14 goals in two games for the Bulldogs
- Three players had two goals each for Wingate, including senior Casey Roux
- Bella Pellet and Annie Plotts led the 'Dogs with two assists each
- Megan Biase had 13 saves and a team-best eight ground balls

NOTES

- Belmont Abbey put together an 8-0 run (spanning both halves) to turn an 8-8 tie into a 16-8 advantage
- The series between the two schools is tied 3-3
- The Crusaders have won three of four games played at Graham Gill Field
- The Bulldogs have won both games played at The Abbey

FIRST HALF

- Wingate led 3-1 on a Becca Ruiz free-position goal at the 27:51 mark
- The contest was tied at 1-1, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6 and 8-8
- Wells scored back-to-back goals (9:34, 8:10) to tie the game for the final time at 8-8
- Belmont Abbey finished the half on a 6-0 run to take a 14-8 at intermission
- D'Andrea had three of the six goals in the flurry with Riley Eastman adding two
 
SECOND HALF

- Belmont Abbey scored the first two goals of the second half to take a 16-8 lead
- Mackenzie Kaderabek concluded the visitors' run with a goal at the 28:29 mark
- Roux ended the drought for Wingate with a goal at the 27:30 plateau
- Back-to-back goals by Kayleigh Hiles (8:19) and Leah Knowles (4:49) cut the WU deficit to 18-13 with 4:49 remaining
- The Bulldogs would get no closer, as Belmont Abbey's Jenna Niedzwiedzki put together a personal 2-0 run to conclude the scoring

UP NEXT

- Wingate concludes its season-opening, three-game home stand next Saturday
- The Bulldogs host Mount Olive Saturday, Feb. 22 at 3 p.m.
- Wingate visits Embry-Riddle Sunday, March 1 to begin a three-game swing through Florida