4/16/2009
Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University lacrosse team will host the Lions of Saint Leo University Friday afternoon at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field in the first round of the 2009 Deep South conference Tournament. Game time is 4 p.m. The Bulldogs are 8-7 overall and 3-2 in the DSC. Saint Leo is 9-3 overall and 4-1 in the conference.
The Bulldogs picked up a pair of wins last week. On Thursday, senior attack man Greg Williams (Woodbridge, V.A.) racked up two goals to lead Wingate to an 8-7 win at Catawba College. Seniors Mike Bayliss (Lorton, V.A.) in the midfield position and Bryan Egan as an attack man (Fairfax, V.A.) each scored a goal for the bulldogs. Freshmen midfielders Derek Malone (Cookeville, T.N.) and Bryan Bayliss (Lorton, V.A.) each stepped up and scored to help secure the win. Sophomore attack man Billy Mutton (Mechanicsville, V.A.) also scored for the Bulldogs.
Wingate seniors Mark Hodsdon (Hilton Head, S.C.) and Evan Schaller (Kirkville, N.Y.) were named to the 2009 All-Deep South Conference Team, league officials announced Tuesday. The two earn the honor for the second consecutive year.
Hodsdon was the leading vote-getters among the midfield selections. He ranks third in the league with 1.53 assists per game and sixth with 3.53 points per game. Hodsdon ranks second on the Wingate team with 30 goals while leading the team with 53 points. He also has 40 ground balls on the year and had the game-winning assist in Wingate’s 8-7 overtime win at Catawba.
Schaller was the leading vote-getter among the defensive selections. A preseason All-American, Schaller leads the Bulldogs with 58 ground balls on the year, while anchoring the Bulldog defense. He also has a goal and an assist on the year.
In addition, three Bulldogs earned honorable mention all-conference accolades. Senior attack Greg Williams (Woodbridge, Va.), senior midfielder Ryan Otterblad (Dumfries, Va.) and senior defender Evan Watts (Winston-Salem, N.C.) all earned honorable mention honors.
Saint Leo is the number two seed in this year’s DSC event. Interestingly enough, the Lions eliminated 2008 regular season champion Wingate 8-7 (in double overtime) in a semi-final contest last year. Current junior midfield Kyle Marceau (Concord, N.H.) scored the winning goal for the SLU Lions.
Defending DSC tournament champion Mars Hill College is the number one seed. The regular season champion Lions are 10-3 overall and 5-0 in the DSC. The number 10 team in the USILA top 10 poll, Mars Hill will face number four seed Catawba (3-7 overall, 2-3 DSC) in the first of two Friday semi-final contests. The MHC Lions and the Catawba Indians will battle at 1 p.m. Friday.
A live pay-per-view video stream will be available for the 2009 Deep South Conference tournament. The Wingate University Sports Network will provide the live pay-per-view video streams in cooperation with Internet Consulting Services, Inc. (ICS).
(Wingate University sports information student assistant Sarah Mackintosh wrote this article. Mackintosh is a senior from Niskayuna, N.Y. Mackintosh is an Athletic Training major.)