Wingate, N.C.----Playing their third top-20 opponent of the season, the eighth-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs stayed perfect in league play Saturday afternoon, prevailing 16-14 over #17 Newberry College in South Atlantic Conference men's lacrosse action at Irwin Belk Stadium. Wingate improves to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the SAC, while the Wolves fall to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in league play.

KEY STATS

- Wingate held a 46-40 advantage in shots; each team took 29 shots on goal
- The Bulldogs won 17 of the 32 face-offs
- The Wolves held a 44-42 advantage in ground balls
- WU converted 16 of 17 clear attempts; Newberry was 19-for-22
- The 'Dogs turned it over 16 times, while the Wolves had 12 turnovers

KEY BULLDOGS

- Willie Grieco had a goal and five assists for a team-best six points, adding three ground balls
- Joey Moran contributed four goals and an assist
- Danny Riley had two goals, two assists, a caused turnover and five ground balls
- Marc Cottage registered three goals
- Kyle Spence contributed two goals and an assist
- Braylon Baker had a goal and an assist
- Daman Lingasin and Aidan McMahon added a goal apiece
- Jaxon Grant handed out an assist
- James Kotcamp won 15-of-25 face-offs, adding a goal and four ground balls
- Lingasin, Johnny Salamone and Peyton Farley had two caused turnovers apiece
- Johnny Caponi piled up 15 saves

FIRST PERIOD

- Kotcamp won the opening face-off and scored eight seconds in
- Cottage put the 'Dogs on top 2-1, but a Baker Westmoreland goal at the 6:10 mark tied it
- Moran answered with a goal 40 seconds later to put WU back on top
- Lingasin scored at the 2:33 mark to make it 4-2
- Riley scored eight seconds later, with Grieco assisting on both goals in the flurry
- Briley Maxwell scored with 29 seconds left to make it 5-3 heading to the second

SECOND PERIOD

- Cottage scored off a Spence assist 21 seconds into the second to push the lead back to three
- Grieco scored off Riley's assist two minutes later to make it 7-3
- Spence scored with eight minutes left to give the Bulldogs an 8-4 advantage
- Brock Strong scored to cut the lead to three, but Spence made it 9-5 with a goal at the 4:26 mark
- Goals from Curtis Bukta and Miles Jones in the final four minutes made it 9-7 at halftime

THIRD PERIOD

- The Wolves scored a pair of man-up goals in the opening three minutes of the half to tie it at nine
- Wingate countered by scoring the next four goals of the contest
- Moran started it with a goal at the 10:14 mark, while Riley scored off Grieco's assist with 8:17 to go
- Moran struck again off Grieco's assist two minutes later to make it 12-9
- McMahon's goal off Grant's assist with five minutes left capped the spurt to put the 'Dogs on top by four
- Scott Reed stopped the spurt at the 4:13 mark, making it 13-10 heading to the fourth

FOURTH PERIOD

- Goals from Bukta and Mac Ryan made it a one-goal game with 10:52 to go
- Moran answered with a goal 37 seconds later to make it 14-12
- Reed scored at the 7:48 mark to cut the lead back to one
- Cottage pushed the lead back to two with 3:10 to go off another Grieco assist
- Maxwell answered 50 seconds later to trim the deficit back to one
- Baker made it 16-14 off Riley's assist with 1:51 to go
- Kotcamp won the ensuing face-off and the 'Dogs were able to run out the clock

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Wednesday, traveling to Catawba for a 7 p.m. start