Rock Hill, S.C.----The Wingate University men’s soccer team shared the regular season South Atlantic Conference title and will be the number one seed in this week’s Food Lion SAC Tournament. Wingate will host the eighth-seeded Tornados of Brevard College Wednesday night at the WU Soccer Complex. The Wingate Sports Network will provide a pay-per-view video broadcast of the contest. The Bulldogs are 14-2 overall and 8-1 in the SAC.
The number three team in the region, Wingate is ranked 19th in the nation. The Bulldogs win their fourth regular season SAC title and first since 2001. The ‘Dogs have won 11 straight matches and have outscored their opponents 39-8 in the streak. The winning streak started Sept. 22 with a 2-0 win over Lander University. In the Lander contest, the Bulldogs received goals from seniors Jamie McKenna (Blackpool, England) and Luke Mulholland (Preston, England), along with a pair of assists from junior midfielder Felippe Imperatriz (Sao Paulo, Brazil). Sophomore forward Gui Lima’s (Sao Paulo, Brazil) goal 4:13 into overtime gave the ‘Dogs a 2-1 win at Tusculum College. McKenna netted a pair of goals in Wingate’s 2-0 victory at Catawba College.
Lima’s first career hat trick highlighted an offensive explosion that saw Wingate collect an 8-0 win over Newberry College. McKenna and senior midfielder Jack Vundum (Birmingham, England) added a goal and an assist each. McKenna pushed his season total to 10 goals when he scored twice in Wingate's 6-1 win at Brevard. Junior midfielder Fabricio Barancoski (Sao Paulo, Brazil) added a pair of goals, while Vundum once again notched a goal and an assist as Wingate moved to 4-1 in the SAC. Senior midfielder Adam Cunningham (Gastonia, N.C.) had a goal and an assist, while Mulholland added two assists in the 3-1 win over Belmont Abbey College.
The most impressive win of the season for the Bulldogs came Oct. 16, when Wingate handed Carson-Newman its first and only league loss of the year by a convincing 6-0 margin. Barancoski scored the lone goal of the first half to give the ‘Dogs a slim lead going into halftime. Wingate erupted for five goals in a 20-minute stretch in the second half, starting with Mulholland’s goal 10 minutes into the frame. Barancoski’s second goal of the game made it 5-0, while freshman defender Keith Pittman (Matthews, N.C.) capped the scoring in the 75th minute. Wingate topped host Queens University of Charlotte 3-2, thanks to a pair of goals from sophomore midfielder Piero Riva (Sao Paulo, Brazil). The Royals tied the match at two, but Wingate answered 19 seconds later when Lima netted the game-winner.
Wingate’s ninth straight win was a 3-1 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne University. Lima scored a pair of goals, while Vundum also scored for the Bulldogs. The streak reached 10 with a 2-1 overtime win over Anderson (S.C.) University. Imperatriz got it started with a goal 26:55 into the contest. The Trojans tied the match and sent it to overtime, where Mulholland set up McKenna for his 12th goal of the year to give the ‘Dogs the victory. Barancoski scored in the 74th minute Saturday at Lincoln Memorial University to tie the match at one. After a scoreless first overtime, senior defender Stephen Kehoe (Newry, Ireland) netted his first goal of the year to give the Bulldogs the SAC title and the number one seed.
McKenna’s 12 goals lead the league, while his 27 points rank second in the SAC. Lima’s eight goals are tied for eighth in the conference, while Barancoski is 10th in the league with seven goals. Mulholland’s nine assists are second in the conference, while Vundum is fourth in the league with eight assists and ninth with 20 points. Wingate leads the league in goals per game, assists per game, points per game, goals allowed and goals against average.
The winner of Wednesday’s contest will face the winner of the Mars Hill College vs. LMU match. That semifinal contest will take place Friday at 6 p.m. in Rock Hill, S.C. The championship match is Sunday at 4 p.m. in Rock Hill.
Tickets for the tournament are $5 per day ($4 with a Food Lion MVP card). College students and children under 13 can purchase tickets for $2 per day (Wingate University students are admitted free to Tuesday’s quarterfinal with a valid ID card).
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