Wingate, N.C.----The seventh-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs jumped out to a 17-1 halftime lead Wednesday afternoon, cruising to a 23-6 victory over the University of Mount Olive in NCAA Division II men's lacrosse action at Irwin Belk Stadium. The Bulldogs move to 3-1 overall, while the Trojans fall to 2-3 on the season.

KEY STATS

- Wingate out-shot Mount Olive 68-18
- The 'Dogs held a 44-13 advantage in shots on goal
- The Trojans had 26 of the 38 turnovers
- The Bulldogs went 18-for-18 on clears while Mount Olive was 15-for-27
- Wingate won 22 of the 33 face-offs while holding a 56-27 advantage in ground balls

KEY BULLDOGS

- Sean Clark had five goals and two assists to lead the Wingate attack
- Willie Grieco collected two goals, four assists and two ground balls
- Danny Riley had four goals, an assist, a CT and five ground balls
- Jaxon Grant compiled a goal and three assists to go along with two ground balls
- Luke Hickam and Caden Castle each registered two goals and an assist
- Joey Moran had two goals and four ground balls
- Sam Goss and Marc Cottage collected a goal and an assist apiece
- Aidan McMahon and Owen McKenzie each scored a goal, with Matt Papach notching an assist
- Logan Spaeth won four face-offs, had three ground balls and scored a goal
- Dylan Rupprecht won 16 of 18 face-offs, picking up four ground balls
- Nick Arnold caused three turnovers while collecting two ground balls
- Joe Karnich had to CTs and two ground balls
- Mason McGivern and Kyle Spence each had a CT and three ground balls
- Thomas Sullivan had two saves in 30 minutes of action, allowing just one goal
- Quad Williams collected five saves in 22 minutes

FIRST PERIOD

- Wingate struck seven times in the opening 10 minutes
- Clark started the scoring three minutes in off a Grieco assist
- McMahon scored 31 seconds later off Clark's assist
- Grieco's goal at the 9:58 mark made it 3-0
- Riley scored a minute later, while Hickam's first goal of the year made it 5-0 with 8:25 to go
- Grant's goal at the 5:43 mark pushed the lead to six
- Riley scored off a Grieco assist with 4:59 remaining, putting the 'Dogs on top 7-0
- Mount Olive got on the board 50 seconds later, but Moran scored off a Grant assist with 23 seconds left to make it 8-1

SECOND PERIOD

- The Bulldogs outscored the Trojans 9-0 in the second frame
- Clark scored twice in the first five minutes off assists from Hickam and Grieco
- Castle's goal off a Clark assist with 8:42 to go in the half made it 11-1
- Grant assisted on the next two goals, with Riley and Moran striking to push the lead to 12
- Clark scored off a Riley assist 10 seconds after Moran's goal to make it 14-1 at the 6:30 mark
- Hickam scored off Grieco's assist 70 seconds later
- Grieco struck with 1:14 left in the half to extend the lead to 15
- Riley scored off Papach's assist with four seconds left, making it 17-1

THIRD PERIOD

- Cottage scored off a Castle assist four minutes into the third to start the scoring in the second half
- Castle scored off a Goss assist with 10:19 left to make it 19-1
- UMO got back-to-back goals, making it 19-3 at the 8:15 mark on a Chaz Goodman goal
- Spaeth won the ensuing face-off and scored his first goal of the year just eight seconds later
- Clark scored off a Cottage assist to make it 21-4 with 6:46 to go
- Goss capped the scoring in the frame at the 2:28 mark, scoring his first goal of the year

FOURTH PERIOD

- Wingate had the lone goal in the final 15 minutes
- It was McKenzie finding the back of the net for the 'Dogs with 1:34 left, making it 23-6

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Saturday, traveling to Mars Hill for a 3 p.m. start
- The 'Dogs travel to Charlotte Saturday, March 9 to face Tampa in the Crown Classic at 11 a.m.