HICKORY, NC - Down 16-12 with five minutes remaining, the Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Lacrosse team nearly made yet another improbable comeback in their NCAA opening round game against #5 seeded Wingate. The Bears scored four goals in a three and a half minute span to tie the game at 16 before Wingate's Vinny Butrico scored the game winning goal with a minute left.
This marks the end of yet another successful season for Head Coach
Greg Paradine and the Bears, as they finished with a 14-4 record and five ranked wins. Wingate will now travel to Tampa on Sunday after the Spartans beat Colorado Mesa 12-7 earlier today.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: (4) Lenoir-Rhyne 16, (5) Wingate 17
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (14-4), Wingate (15-4)
Location: Hickory, NC | Moretz Stadium
STORY OF THE GAME
- With Wingate up 4-2 Jarrett Huff scored a goal with 10 seconds left in the first quarter to put the Bears down one after one.
- Tied at 7-7, the Bulldogs scored the final two goals of the half to head into the locker room up 9-7.
- After an opening goal from Wingate's Kyle Spence, Matt Scruggs and Donovan Powell scored back-to-back goals to put Lenoir-Rhyne back within one.
- Wingate scored three of the quarter's final five goals and led 13-11 going into the final frame.
- Owen Scott scored an early goal to make it 13-12, but a 3-0 Wingate run took the air out of Moretz.
- Scott scored hit second straight goal to stop the run before Powell, Evan Voss, and Nate Serrano each scored unassisted goals to tie the game at 16-16.
- Matthew Mancini won three out of four faceoffs during that span to give the Bears a chance.
- Wingate's Vinny Butrico scored with one minute left to dash the Bears hopes of a third consecutive national championship game appearance.
STATS OF THE GAME
- Morgan Madish led the Bears with two gaols and two assists.
- Donovan Powell, Owen Scott, and Evan Voss each notched hat tricks.
- Matthew Mancini was 20-33 on face offs with 11 ground balls.
- Jack Burdge made nine saves in the match.
- Wingate's offense ran through Kyle Spence (2g, 7a) and Sean Clark (6g).
- The Bears out-shot the Bulldogs 57-50 and held a 35-26 advantage on shots-on-goal.
- There were only three penalties in the game.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- This was Lenoir-Rhyne's fifth straight season with at least 14 wins.
- Evan Voss finishes his career with exactly 200 points, becoming the fifth Bear in school history to do so.
- His 103 assists put him at third all-time.
- Matthew Mancini's 249 faceoffs won this season put him second all-time behind Shane Gottberg's 263 in 2018.