Wingate, N.C.----The eighth-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs celebrated Senior Day in style Saturday afternoon, cruising to a 23-3 victory over Lincoln Memorial University in South Atlantic Conference men's lacrosse action at Irwin Belk Stadium. The Bulldogs improve to 8-3 overall and 5-1 in the SAC, while the Railsplitters fall to 4-9 overall and 1-6 in league play.

KEY STATS

- Wingate out-shot LMU 56-28
- The Bulldogs held a 37-15 advantage in shots on goal
- The 'Dogs won 20 of the 30 face-offs, holding a 61-42 advantage in ground balls
- Wingate was 23-for-26 on clears; LMU went 18-for-26
- Lincoln Memorial had 26 of the 45 turnovers on the day
- The Bulldogs blanked the Railsplitters over the final 40 minutes of action

KEY BULLDOGS

- Danny Riley had four goals, five assists, a caused turnover and a ground ball
- Willie Grieco added two goals and five assists
- Sean Clark netted four goals on the day
- Kyle Spence contributed a goal and three assists
- Caden Castle scored a pair of goals, adding a CT and two ground balls
- Aidan McMahon registered a goal and an assist
- Johnny Salamone had a goal, a CT and four ground balls
- Dylan Rupprecht won 13-of-15 face-offs, adding five ground balls and a goal
- Johnny Blakely, Luke Hickam, Marc Cottage, James Solazzo, Joey Moran, Ethan Schmidt and Zach Samson each scored a goal
- Jaxon Grant, Matt Papach and Zachary Pizzimenti each handed out an assist
- Peyton Farley piled up three CTs and six ground balls
- Joe Karnich added a pair of CTs and two ground balls
- Trent Connolly collected five ground balls
- Thomas Sullivan had six saves in 32 minutes of action
- Quad Williams piled up four saves in 20 minutes without allowing a goal
- Matt Janotte added a pair of saves in eight minutes of shutout action

FIRST PERIOD

- Daniel Pearl gave LMU a 1-0 lead five minutes in
- Moran answered with a goal 29 seconds later to tie it
- Clark scored back-to-back goals off Riley assists to make it 3-1 at the 8:28 mark
- Riley scored with 7:47 to go off a Spence assist
- Grieco scored 29 seconds later off a Riley assist to push the lead to four
- Riley set up McMahon for a goal at the 6:33 mark to make it 6-1
- Jenson Jones capped the Wingate scoring run with a goal with 4:44 to go
- Samson capped the scoring in the frame with 2:26 remaining to put the 'Dogs on top 7-2

SECOND PERIOD

- Salamone scored off a Riley assist in the opening minute to extend the lead to six
- Rhodes Conroy scored LMU's final goal of the day with 10:08 remaining, making it 8-3
- Wingate scored seven times in the final 6:24 of the half, starting with a Riley goal off a Grieco assist
- Hickam scored off Grieco's assist with 5:30 remaining to make it 10-3
- Riley scored two minutes later off a McMahon assist
- Rupprecht won the ensuing face-off and scored his first goal of the year nine seconds later
- Blakely got in the action with his second goal of the season just 16 seconds later
- Clark scored off a Grieco assist with 2:14 to go to push the lead to 11
- Castle scored off a Spence assist with 14 seconds left to give Wingate a 15-3 advantage

THIRD PERIOD

- Riley scored off a Grieco assist in the opening minute to start the second-half scoring
- Spencer struck 42 seconds later to make it 17-3
- Cottage scored off Grieco's assist at the 12:53 mark
- Clark scored 90 seconds later to put the 'Dogs on top 19-3
- Grieco scored Wingate's 20th goal of the day off a Spence assist with 8:51 to go
- Castle scored a minute later off a Papach assist
- Schmidt scored his second goal of the year with 6:39 to go off a Grant assist to make it 22-3

FOURTH PERIOD

- Solazzo scored the lone goal of the final frame at the 4:12 mark off a Pizzimenti assist

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Saturday, traveling to Anderson for a noon start
- The 'Dogs return home April 13 to host #1 Limestone at noon