Matthews, N.C.----The top-seeded and ninth-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs are onto the SAC championship game for the second straight year, cruising to a 20-3 victory over UVA Wise in the semifinals of the 2023 South Atlantic Conference women's lacrosse tournament. The Bulldogs win their 12th straight, improving to 16-2 on the season to set a program record for single-season wins. UVA Wise falls to 11-7 overall. Wingate will play in the SAC title game for the second straight season and third time in program history Monday at 2 p.m. The 'Dogs are looking for their first-ever SAC Tourney title.

KEY STATS

- Wingate out-shot UVA Wise 33-10, with a 26-7 edge in shots on goal
- The Cavaliers had 23 of the 37 turnovers
- The 'Dogs were 16-for-19 on clear attempts; the Cavs were eight-for-13
- Wingate held a 15-10 advantage in draw controls
- The Bulldogs had an 11-10 edge in ground balls

KEY BULLDOGS

- Bella Pellet had four goals and three draw controls to lead the attack
- Leah Knowles had three goals, an assist and six draw controls
- Kaleigh Wilgeroth added three goals
- Paige Kamer handed out three assists
- Madi Caldwell and Julia Garvin each contributed a goal and two assists
- Nelida Watson and Danielle Scarfogliero had two goals apiece
- Meghan Higgins, Avery Scherer and Claire Fuchs notched a goal and assist each
- Becca Ruiz contributed a goal, three draw controls and a caused turnover
- Caroline Heffner had three CTs and two ground balls
- Garvin and Emily Phipps had a pair of CTs apiece
- Megan Biase allowed just one goal in 30 minutes of action, registering three saves

FIRST QUARTER

- Wingate scored three times in the first four minutes, with Wilgeroth scoring 47 seconds in
- Ruiz and Knowles added goals, with Kamer adding an assist to make it 3-0
- Pellet added two more goals in the frame, with Knowles adding a goal and an assist to make it 6-1

SECOND QUARTER

- The Bulldogs scored all seven goals in the second quarter
- Caldwell scored off a Fuchs assist, then assisted on a Pellet goal at the 10:10 mark to make it 8-1
- Scarfogliero pushed the lead to eight with a goal with 7:52 to go
- Watson scored twice in a 26-second span to push the lead to 10
- Goals from Garvin and Fuchs in the final two minutes gave WU a 12-1 halftime lead

THIRD QUARTER

- The Bulldogs scored the first 4-0 of the second half to cap a 14-0 run
- Wilgeroth scored off Kamer's assist two minutes in, while Pellet added a goal two minutes later
- Scarfogliero scored off a Caldwell assist at the 7:40 mark to make it 16-1
- Scherer scored a minute later to push the advantage to 16
- Higgins scored off a Garvin assist with 1:51 left to make it 18-2 heading to the fourth

FOURTH QUARTER

- Knowles scored off Kamer's assist in the opening minute
- Wilgeroth scored off Scherer's assist at the 4:14 mark to cap the scoring on the day

UP NEXT

- Wingate is onto the SAC title game Monday at 2 p.m. in Matthews
- The Bulldogs will face Newberry with the SAC Tourney championship on the line
- The 'Dogs defeated the Wolves 18-8 on March 22 in Wingate