National Title Match Recap
Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Athletic department will be honoring the first NCAA Division II national championship team this fall. Wingate will honor the 2016 national champion men's soccer team this fall on the 10-year anniversary of the historic national title, which was the first NCAA D2 national title in the history of Wingate and South Atlantic Conference sports.
The celebration of the team will take place Hall of Fame weekend, Sept 18 and 19 of 2026. The soccer squad will be honored as this year's "Team of Distinction" at the WU Sports Hall of Fame ceremony Friday, Sept. 18. The team will also be honored at halftime of the football game the following day when the Bulldogs host Newberry at 6 p.m. at Irwin Belk Stadium.
"It's hard to believe it's been a decade," head coach
Gary Hamill says. "As time goes by, it becomes even more of a life-changing experience and just how special that season was."
It was an incredible run for the Bulldogs 10 years ago to capture the ultimate prize. The team went 19-1 on the season and a perfect 11-0 in league play. The Bulldogs outscored their opponents 48-8 on the year, piling up 12 shutouts while never allowing multiple goals in a game.
The top-ranked team in D2 throughout the second half of the 2016 season, the Bulldogs earned the number one seed in the region, opening the tourney run with a 3-0 win over Limestone. That set up a showdown with defending national champs Pfeiffer in the region title match, which Wingate won in thrilling 1-0 fashion behind an
Aksel Juul goal at a packed WU Soccer Complex to advance to the national quarterfinals.
Pablo Jara piled up seven saves on the night. Two days later, the 'Dogs topped Tampa 1-0 in Wingate to advance to the final four.
The 'Dogs wasted no time making an impact on the national stage, with
Christian Szalay scoring 2:39 into the national semifinal contest en route to a 2-0 victory over UC San Diego to advance to the national title match.
Jon Ander scored twice in the title match as the 'Dogs knocked off Charleston 2-0 to claim the school's first Division II national title.
The incredibly well-balanced squad was led by National Player of the Year
Alex Nelson, who anchored the defense that led the nation in goals-against average (0.40). Wingate did not allow a goal in any of the five NCAA Tourney contests, going the final 534 minutes of the season without allowing a goal. Jara posted five shutouts in the postseason to earn All-American accolades, leading the nation in goals-against average. In addition, Juul, midfielder
Callum Ross and defender
Damian Gaona and collected All-American accolades. Ander was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player at the NCAA Championships, with Nelson earning Most Outstanding Defensive Player. Wingate Hall of Famer Gary Hamill was named the SAC Coach of the Year, while his staff earned region and national Coaching Staff of the Year accolades.
2016 Wingate Men's Soccer Roster
| # |
Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| 0 |
Victor Spaggiari |
R-Fr. |
GK |
Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| 1 |
Pablo Jara |
So. |
GK |
Santiago, Chile |
| 2 |
Alex Nelson |
Sr. |
D |
Newcastle, England |
| 3 |
Jack Miller |
So. |
D |
Linlithgow, England |
| 4 |
Callum Ross |
R-Jr. |
MF |
Newcastle, England |
| 5 |
James Scott |
Jr. |
D |
Newcastle, England |
| 6 |
Aksel Juul |
Sr. |
MF |
Newcastle, England |
| 7 |
Christian Szalay |
Jr. |
MF |
Vienna, Austria |
| 8 |
Alistair Law |
So. |
MF |
Blackburn, England |
| 9 |
Elma N'For |
Jr. |
F |
Yaounde, Cameroon |
| 10 |
Filipe Checco |
Sr. |
MF |
Brotas, Brazil |
| 11 |
Jon Ander |
Jr. |
F |
Bilbao, Spain |
| 12 |
Garrett Bridgewater |
Jr. |
F |
Cape Carteret, N.C. |
| 13 |
Vicente Munoz |
Jr. |
MF |
Santiago, Chile |
| 14 |
Jose Ojeda |
So. |
MF |
Bogota, Colombia |
| 15 |
Stuart Hendry |
Fr. |
MF |
Sydney, Australia |
| 16 |
David Fairgrieve |
Jr. |
MF |
Newcastle, England |
| 17 |
Mateo Correa |
Jr. |
MF |
Medellin, Colombia |
| 19 |
Jack Wlodyka |
So. |
D |
Charlotte, N.C. |
| 20 |
Matthew Livingstone |
Fr. |
D |
Carnforth, England |
| 21 |
Damian Gaona |
Jr. |
D |
Santiago, Chile |
| 22 |
Nate Evans |
So. |
F |
Greenville, N.C. |
| 24 |
Lucas Yatsugafu |
So. |
D |
Florianoplis, Brazil |
| 25 |
Nate Foster |
Fr. |
F |
Raleigh, N.C. |
| 26 |
Will Tomlinson |
Fr. |
F |
Apex, N.C. |
| 27 |
Justin Robinson |
Fr. |
D |
Scott AFB, Ill. |
| 28 |
Cole Ritch |
Fr. |
MF |
Aberdeen, N.C. |
| 29 |
Oscar Perez |
Fr. |
MF |
Alcañiz, Spain |
Head Coach: Gary Hamill
Assistants: Joey Calandra, Shaun Gadsby, Shaun Utterson
Athletic Trainer: Tim Singleton
Student Trainers: Olivia Smith, Nate Hinderer
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
Wingate University is a lab of difference-making that serves more than 3,600 students in North Carolina and offers 60 degree pathways, including 37 undergraduate majors, 9 pre-professional tracks and five dual-degree programs. Graduate students choose from seven master's and five doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education, and the School of Sport Sciences.
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a leader in healthcare education where nearly one in five undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 30 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 18 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at
www.wingate.edu.
