WINGATE, N.C. — The 10th-ranked Catawba College men's lacrosse team remained within reach of No. 4 Wingate until a third-quarter momentum switch allowed the Bulldogs to pull away in 14-6 fashion at Irwin Belk Stadium on Wednesday night.
TEAM STATS
- Catawba (11-3, 6-3 SAC) suffered its second double-digit shooting disparity of the year as Wingate (12-2, 9-0 SAC) maintained a 46-36 advantage with a 29-21 edge in shots on goal
- The turnover battle was tight but the Catawba Indians came out on top, logging 15 miscues against the Bulldogs' 16
- The blue and white registered a season-low .692 clearing percentage (18-for-26) while Wingate successfully moved 20 of its 23 transition attempts across midfield
- Wingate had the upper hand in ground balls with a 15-pickup lead at 41-26
- Cael Petroff had all seven of Catawba's faceoff wins, while Necco Cottage was credited with each of Wingate's 16 triumphs on the X
- Ben LoPiccolo played all but 16 seconds in net — briefly giving way to Brady Gauntner due to injury precaution — and made 15 saves for a .517 clip; Quad Williams stopped 15 of the visitors' 21 shots in a winning effort
INDIVIDUAL STATS
- Micah Stechmiller punished the back of the net with three goals to register his fourth hat trick of the year
- Michael Lindsey chipped in one goal and one assist as Tanner Stout and Kier McKnight each found paydirt once; the latter scored with one second remaining in the first half following a swift charge through the midfield
- Boston Rehrer and Jack Mercer rounded out the offensive output with one assist apiece
- McKnight, Griffin Davis and Jackson Byers each caused a pair of turnovers
- Petroff had a team-high five ground ball pickups as Stout and Andrew Crumpacker paced the non-specialists with three grabs each
UP NEXT
Catawba has the No. 4 seed in the South Atlantic Conference Championship Tournament, setting the stage for a rematch with fifth-seeded Anderson at Shuford Stadium on Saturday, Apr. 25. Opening faceoff is scheduled for noon.
