Wingate, N.C.----The 24th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs held their third consecutive opponents to five or fewer goals on Wednesday afternoon, cruising to a 16-5 win over Catawba College in South Atlantic Conference women's lacrosse action at Graham Gill Field. The Bulldogs improve to 10-2 and 6-1 in the SAC, while the Indians drop to 5-7 and 1-4 in league play.
 
KEY STATS
 
- Wingate out-shot Catawba 39-27
- The Bulldogs held a 30-18 advantage in shots on goal
- Catawba committed 27 of the 50 turnovers in the contest
- WU was 24-of-29 on clear attempts, limiting the Indians to 23-of-32
- The 'Dogs collected 29 ground balls to Catawba's 23
- Wingate won 16 of 25 draw controls
 
KEY BULLDOGS
 
- Leah Knowles led the way for the Bulldogs, registering four goals, two assists, seven draw controls and three caused turnovers
- Danielle Scarfogliero had two goals and two assists
- Paige Kamer recorded four assists including the first three of the game
- Becca Ruiz added three goals
- Bella Pellet went for two goals, two ground balls and two CTs
- Avery Scherer chipped in two goals and four DCs
- Nelida Watson, Claire Fuchs and Blake Clouser found the back of the net in the win
- Emily Phipps had a team-high six ground balls, three CTs and two DCs
- Megan Biase made 10 saves in just over 42 minutes in the winning decision
 
FIRST PERIOD
 
- Catawba got on the board first, scoring from a free position
- Kamer assisted on each of the first three Wingate goals of the afternoon, one each to Pellet, Scarfogliero and Fuchs
- Scherer and Ruiz added scores as the 'Dogs utilized a 5-0 blitz to take a four-goal lead
- Catawba's Caroline Falcone cut the Indians' deficit to three at the 3:15 mark
- Knowles' 45th goal of the season capped the first-period scoring, as Wingate took a 6-2 lead
 
SECOND PERIOD
 
- Catawba scored the first two goals of the second period, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to as close to 6-4
- WU rattled off four unanswered goals in less than two minutes to extend their advantage
- Ruiz, Scherer, Knowles and Clouser each got past the Catawba goalie in the run
- Knowles added one more score before the end of the half to give the 'Dogs an 11-4 edge
 
THIRD PERIOD
 
- The Bulldogs took control of the game to start the second half, scoring three times in the first three minutes
- Watson, Scarfogliero and Knowles scores got the running clock going as the Bulldogs took a 14-4 lead
 
FOURTH PERIOD
 
- Ruiz and Pellet scored back-to-back to open the scoring in the fourth period
- Catawba's Ella McCusker broke the Indians' scoring drought at the 6:04 mark
- The Bulldogs held Catawba out of the net for over 35 minutes across the second, third and fourth periods
 
UP NEXT
 
- The Bulldogs hit the road to Newberry, S.C. on Saturday, taking on the Wolves at 4 p.m.
- The teams currently sit second and third in the SAC standings
- Wingate returns to Graham Gill Field on Wednesday, April 13, taking on Lenoir-Rhyne at 4 p.m.