Charlotte, N.C.—--Junior All-American attack Willie Grieco's game-winning goal in overtime secured #4 Wingate University's 11-10 overtime victory over seventh-ranked Limestone in the Crown Classic at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte Saturday night. The Bulldogs improve to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in SAC play, while the Saints drop to 4-1 and 0-1 in league action. The 'Dogs now have three wins over top-20 opponents, including two wins over top-10 teams.
 
KEY STATS
 
- Wingate out-shot Limestone 44-40
- The Bulldogs held a 29-25 advantage in shots on goal
- WU collected 46 ground balls compared to the Saints' 39
- LU won 12 of the 22 face-offs
- Each team had 23 turnovers
- The 'Dogs forced Limestone to 14-for-23 on clear attempts; Wingate was 18-for-22
 
KEY BULLDOGS
 
- Bobby Padden led the Bulldogs with two goals and a game-high five assists
- Grieco had two goals, one of which was the game clincher, and dished out an assist
- Adam Vodovnik and Marc Cottage Jr. each netted a pair of goals
- Peyton Farley led the 'Dogs defensively with a game-high seven ground balls, while adding a goal on the other end
- Danny Riley​​ found the back of the net as well as collecting five ground balls
- Collin Fleming added a goal for the Bulldogs
- Brody Baker registered three ground balls and two caused turnovers
- John Caponi made 15 saves in relief in the cage, his most saves in a Wingate uniform
 
FIRST PERIOD
 
- Limestone got two early scores on the board in the first three minutes
- Vodovnik scored off a feed from Padden, who later found Riley to knot the score at two apiece at the eight-minute mark
- The two sides did not score for the remainder of the period
 
SECOND PERIOD
 
- Padden fired in his first goal of the night to kick off the scoring in the second period and give Wingate its first lead of the night
- Gavin Kesselring took advantage of the Saints' man-up opportunity less than two minutes later
- Vodovnik scored again from Padden, taking back the lead at the 7:32 mark
- The Saints responded once more, to which Cottage responded with a score off a rebound to regain the lead for Wingate
- Chris Erneston found the back of the net to erase the Bulldog advantage, but Padden fired right back with a score of his own with under two minutes to go in the half
- The two sides combined to score seven goals in the period with no side scoring two in a row
 
THIRD PERIOD
 
- Limestone had the first two goals of the second half, taking a 7-6 lead midway through the quarter
- Scores from Grieco and Fleming through the rest of the period gave Wingate a slight 8-7 lead heading into the final period
 
FOURTH PERIOD
 
- Wingate took advantage early in the fourth period, scoring on a coast-to-coast score from Farley
- Cottage followed with his second score of the night to give WU a 10-7 lead with 8:30 to play
- The Saints fought back into the game scoring at the 5:02 and 2:52 marks to cut the 'Dogs' lead to a single goal with over two minutes to play
- Erneston's score with 25 seconds to play forced a sudden-death extra period
 
OVERTIME
 
- The Bulldogs won the face-off on a violation and never allowed Limestone to take possession in the extra time
- Grieco fired the winner less than two minutes in, clinching Wingate's third win over a nationally ranked opponent this season
 
UP NEXT
 
- Wingate continues SAC play on Saturday, March 12, visiting Coker for a road tilt at 3 p.m.