Wingate men's team receives at-large bid to NCAA tournament for second straight year
Date Posted: 11/10/2015
Indianapolis, Ind.----The 2015 South Atlantic Conference regular season and tournament champion Wingate University Bulldogs are the number five seed in the NCAA Super Region 2. The 23rd-ranked Bulldogs will face fourth-seeded and 12th-ranked Lander University in the opening round match. The regional quarterfinal contest will take place Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. at Pfeiffer.
Top-ranked and undefeated Pfeiffer is the number one seed. The Falcons are one of two hosts in the region. Young Harris is the number two seed, followed by third-seeded and 14th-ranked Carson-Newman. Lander and Wingate are fourth and fifth, with Limestone earning the six seed.
Wingate and Lander will play at Pfeiffer, with the winner advancing to take on the top-ranked Falcons in the second round. Young Harris will await the Carson-Newman vs. Limestone winner.
This marks the second straight NCAA Tournament bid for the Bulldogs and third in four years. Wingate won its first-ever regional title in 2012, while advancing to the regional semifinals in 2014. This year marks the first time since 1992 Wingate has won the SAC regular season and tournament title in the same year.
The Bulldogs are led by SAC Player of the Year Jon Ander (Bilbao, Spain), who leads the conference with 11 goals, ranking third with 25 points. Midfielders Aksel Juul (Newcastle, England) and Shaun Gadsby (Newcastle, England) are fourth and seventh in the league, respectively, in points. Wingate's Charlie Machell (Newcastle, England) andCallum Ross (Newcastle, England) are tied for 11th in the conference in points.
Wingate's eight all-conference selections also include defenders Alex Nelson (Newcastle, England) and Damian Gaona (Santiago, Chile). The duo has helped Wingate lead the league in goals-against average. The Bulldogs did not allow a goal in the SAC Tournament. Also helping the Bulldogs lead the conference in shutouts is freshman goalkeeper Pablo Jara (Santiago, Chile). The SAC Freshman of the Year was also named the SAC Tournament MVP. He leads the conference in save percentage and goals-against average.
NCAA Men's Soccer Super Region 2 Schedule
Friday, Nov. 13
3:30 p.m. #3 Carson-Newman vs. #6 Limestone (at Young Harris)
7 p.m. #4 Lander vs. #5 Wingate (at Pfeiffer)
Sunday, Nov. 15
1 p.m. Lander-Wingate winner at #1 Pfeiffer
3:30 p.m. CN-Limestone winner at #2 Young Harris