Jefferson City, Tenn.----The fourth-seeded and 25th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs scored twice in the final 11 minutes Thursday afternoon, downing the top-seeded and 14th-ranked Carson-Newman University Eagles 2-0 in the semifinals of the South Atlantic Conference men's soccer tournament. Wingate improves to 7-2-1 overall, advancing to Sunday's SAC championship match. The Eagles end their season at 6-1-1 overall.
KEY STATS
- Carson-Newman outshot Wingate 12-7
- The Eagles had three shots on goal compared to two for the Bulldogs
- Wingate had five of the eight corner kicks
- The 'Dogs were called for 11 of the 18 fouls
- Each team had one yellow card and one red card
- The Eagles had allowed just two goals through their first nine games of the season
- Carson-Newman had not allowed a goal in nearly 700 minutes of action
- Wingate is looking for a second straight SAC Tourney title and fourth in six seasons
KEY BULLDOGS
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Nick Bennett netted the game-winning goal
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Daniel Kuper also scored a goal for the Bulldogs
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Floris Van Der Bruggen assisted on the game winner
- Bennett led the way with three shots; Kuper and
Mikkel Fahlen Bruun added two shots each
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Jens Bergendorff registered three saves to notch the shutout
FIRST HALF
- Carson-Newman held a 5-3 advantage in shots in the opening 45 minutes
- The Eagles had the lone shot on goal in the 12th minute, which was turned away by Bergendorff
SECOND HALF
- Bergendorff notched his second save of the day four minutes into the second half to keep it scoreless
- Wingate got on the board in the 80th minute
- Bennett headed home a cross from Van Der Bruggen to get the 'Dogs on the board
- The freshman has three goals in the SAC tourney after his two-goal effort in Monday's 7-1 win
- Bergendorff came up with another save a minute later to keep the Bulldogs on top
- Kuper scored with 10 seconds remaining to give the 'Dogs a 2-0 victory
UP NEXT
- The Bulldogs will play for the SAC championship on Sunday
- Wingate will face the winner of tonight's Lenoir-Rhyne vs. Anderson match
- The winner of that contest will host Sunday's title match
