VIDEO | Season Preview with Abby Wiley

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University women's lacrosse season gets underway next week, with the Bulldogs hosting North Greenville Tuesday, Feb. 11 on ESPN3 at 4 p.m. Wingate is coming off a 9-9 season, going 5-3 in league play to finish third in the league standings. The Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals of the SAC Tournament in 2019.

"The team right now is super excited to get out there," second-year head coach Abby Wiley says. "It's been a long preseason, but they have worked extremely hard. This is a very dedicated, great group of girls that is ready to get start playing and show everyone how hard they have been working. I'm super excited about the team as a whole. I really think we have grown a lot since last year and our upperclassmen have been doing a great job of being leaders to the young players and taking them under their wings. Having Coach Frank by my side for the second year in a row has been nice to allow her to have more control with the offense. The team loves and respects her and it has been nice for her to give her undivided attention to the attack so I can focus my attention on the defense."

Wingate returns plenty of firepower from last year's squad that went 5-3 in league play. The Bulldogs had three players earn preseason All-SAC honors, including a pair of seniors earning first team honors in Kendall Wells and Sierra Street. The 'Dogs were picked third in the preseason SAC coaches' poll.

"We're living by the next-one mentality," Wiley says. "Be ready for the next play, not everything will go perfectly, shake off the mistakes and be better next time. Nobody is perfect, but I expect us to react well to our mistakes. When it comes to mentality, we are getting stronger every day at recognizing what we should and shouldn't be doing. What's working and not working. Trying to stay positive and not getting down on ourselves and each other, which we struggled with last year. We are working hard on building that strong team mentality all year."

ATTACK

The attack will be led by the senior Wells, who piled up 54 goals and eight assists last season to lead the Bulldogs in goals and points, ranking in the top 12 in the league in both categories. Wells has 146 goals and 30 assists in her Bulldog career. "Kendall is a very strong senior attacker for us, coming off two great seasons," Wiley says. "She's very sneaky and I believe she is someone that is very hard to guard. She is a great finisher and is just a very well-rounded attacker."

Joining Wells as key contributors in the attack this season will be sophomore Bella Pellet and freshman Annie Plotts. Pellet appeared in all 18 games last season, collecting 13 goals and five assists for the Bulldogs. Plotts comes to Wingate after a standout career at Page High School in Tennessee. "Annie is very shifty and does so many things well," Wiley says. "She is a great driver, great dodger and great finisher that will be a huge contributor for us this year. Bella should be a key factor for our attack as well. She's worked very hard in the offseason, improving her game both physically and mentally."  

MIDFIELD

The Bulldogs return plenty of key contributors in the midfield, led by senior Casey Roux, junior Morgan Akers and sophomore Becca Ruiz. Roux had 19 goals and three assists in 14 games last season, adding 48 draw controls and 12 ground balls. Akers registered 14 goals and seven assists while starting 17 of 18 games in her sophomore season. Ruiz was named the SAC Freshman of the Year while earning second team All-SAC honors, piling up 27 goals and a team-best 27 assists to rank second on the squad with 54 points.

"Casey, Becca and Morgan back together is a great combination," Wiley says. "They are all solid attackers and defenders. Casey is great on the draw control and Becca is just a scrappy player that has worked a lot on her shot placement. She's worked hard in the offseason to develop her game and I expect her to become a stronger finisher after all the work she has put in. Morgan sees the field well and has a great lacrosse IQ."

Wiley expects a pair of freshmen to make an immediate impact in the midfield for the Bulldogs this season in Leah Knowles from Hickory High School and Abby Burke from St. Mary's Ryken High School in Maryland. "Leah and Abby have both grown tremendously since the fall," Wiley says. "They will contribute on both sides of the ball and are extremely versatile. I expect both of them to play important roles right away."  

DEFENSE

The defense will be anchored by seniors Sierra Street and Taylor Barker. Street has earned first team All-SAC honors each of the last two seasons, starting all 18 games last year while notching 16 caused turnovers, 52 draw controls and 30 ground balls, adding a pair of goals. Barker all started all 18 goals during her junior season, compiling eight caused turnovers and 14 ground balls as the Wingate defense finished third in the SAC in goals-against average. "Sierra and Taylor are two senior defenders who have really shown a lot of leadership on the defensive side," Wiley says. "They have taken a lot of our freshmen under their wings and really helped them in their development."

Other players that will be key factors defensively include junior Emmy Fluman and sophomore Caroline Heffner, who combined to make 23 starts last season with 41 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers. Two more newcomers in Abby Hayhurst from Bishop Guertin High School in New Hampshire and Emily Phipps from Archbishop Spalding High School in Maryland will also be impact players on the back line.

"Emmy and Caroline are returning defenders who are very vocal and understand the game very well," Wiley says. "Abby and Emily are the two freshmen that have really stood out defensively and will look to make important contributions to our defense this season."

GOALIE

The Bulldogs will turn to freshman Megan Biase from Sachem North High School in New York at goalie this season. "Megan's mentality and composure as a freshman goalie is unmatched in all of my time as a coach," Wiley says. "She has been so calm in the net for us, has done a great job since she has arrived, and every day has become a better and more vocal leader."
 
SCHEDULE

The Bulldogs open the 2020 season with three straight home games, hosting North Greenville, Belmont Abbey and Mount Olive Feb. 11, 15 and 22. A trip to Florida sees Wingate take on Embry-Riddle, Florida Southern and Saint Anselm before returning home in March to open league play against Lincoln Memorial March 8. The final regular season home game is April 11 against Queens, while the regular season wraps up the following Saturday at Tusculum. The SAC Tournament gets underway April 21, with the semifinals and finals taking place in Hickory April 24 and 26.