Wingate University Athletics

Wingate, N.C.----The number two seed Lions of Saint Leo University defeated the third-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs 9-8 in Deep South Conference semifinal action Friday afternoon at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field. Saint Leo improves 10-3 on the year while the Bulldogs fall to 8-8. The Lions will take on Mars Hill in the DSC championship game Sunday at 2 p.m.

Junior midfielder Kyle Marceau (Concord, N.H.) led the Lions with two goals and an assist. Senior attack Benjamin Brigham (Scituate, Mass.) added a goal and two assists while junior attack Luke Baruch (Golden, Colo.) and freshman midfielder Jake McGuinness (Barnstable, Mass.) had two goals each for the Lions.

Senior midfielder Ryan Otterblad (Dumfries, Va.) led the Bulldogs with a game-high four goals to go along with an assist. Senior attack Greg Williams (Woodbridge, Va.) and senior midfielder Mark Hodsdon (Hilton Head, S.C.) each had a goal and an assist.

The Bulldogs scored three of the games first four goals. A goal from freshman attack Bryan Bayliss (Lorton, Va.) gave Wingate a 2-1 lead. Otterblad gave the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead with 12:25 remaining in the second period.

Saint Leo responded by scoring the next three goals. McGuinness had two of the goals in the stretch, including the go ahead goal at the 9:58 mark. Otterblad answered with a goal 2:10 later to tie the game at four. Brigham gave Saint Leo a 5-4 lead with 45 seconds remaining in the half.

Williams scored 4:53 into the second half to tie the game at five. Saint Leo responded by scoring the next three goals. Baruch got it started, scoring at the 8:06 mark and again at the 4:15 mark. Marceau added a goal with 2:48 remaining in the period to give the Lions an 8-5 lead.

Otterblad scored at the 10:28 mark of the fourth to cut the lead to two. Junior midfielder Nick Bova (Eureka, Mo.) answered with a goal at the 1:39 mark to make it 9-6.

Wingate would not go away, scoring two goals in the final minute. Otterblad scored with 57 seconds remaining to make it 9-7. Hodsdon followed with a goal 11 seconds later to cut the lead to one.

Wingate held a 34-29 edge in shots, including a 22-19 advantage in shots on goal. Saint Leo held a 42-37 advantage in ground balls, led by sophomore midfielder Mike Del Buono (Southington, Conn.) with nine. Senior defender Evan Schaller (Kirkville, N.Y.) led the Bulldogs with five.

(Wingate University assistant sports information director Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)