Wingate, N.C. -- Wingate University redshirt senior midfielder Mark Hodsdon (Hilton Head, S.C.) scored a career-high seven goals as the Bulldogs earned a 20-4 NCAA Division II men's lacrosse victory over Lees-McRae College Saturday afternoon at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field on the Wingate campus.

Wingate improves to 2-5 overall, while Lees-McRae falls to 0-5 overall. The Bulldogs hit the road Wednesday, visiting Pfeiffer University for a 4:00 p.m. contest. The LMC Bobcats travel to West Virginia Thursday, facing Wheeling Jesuit University at 4:00 p.m.

The Bulldogs led 6-1 after the first 15 minutes and never looked back. Hodsdon had three of his seven goals in the first frame. Sophomore attack Billy Mutton (Mechanicsville, Va.) added two scores in the opening period.

Lees-McRae freshman midfielder Matt Smith (Westerville, Ohio) scored an unassisted goal at the 14:47 mark of the second quarter to cut the Bobcat deficit to 6-2. Following Smith's tally, Wingate put together a 14-0 run spanning the second, third and fourth quarters.

Bulldog redshirt junior attack Angus Derbyshire (Thurmont, Md.) concluded the 14-goal flurry when he scored his second goal of the afternoon with 11:26 to play in the fourth quarter. Wingate senior midfielder Ryan Otterblad (Dumfries, Va.) assisted Derbyshire on the play.

Otterblad led Wingate with four assists on the afternoon. Hodsdon's seven goals give him 15 for the season, tops on the Bulldog team charts. Mutton had five goals, also a career-best. Seven different players scored a goal Saturday, while 10 Wingate student-athletes posted at least one point. Smith had two goals to top the Bobcat charts Saturday.

The Bulldogs outshot the Bobcats 39-22. Wingate had 25 shots on goal, compared to nine for Lees-McRae. Wingate freshman goalie Danny Dlugozima (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) picked up his first victory as a collegian, allowing only two goals in 47:55 minutes of work. He posted four saves. Senior goalkeeper Chad Watson (Wilmington, N.C.) finished for the Bulldogs, giving up two goals in 12-plus minutes. Watson recorded one save.

For Lees-McRae, sophomore netminder Andy Nesdill (Phoenix, Ariz.) took the loss. Nesdill logged 24-plus minutes, surrendering 12 goals and posting one save. Classmate Michael Fahey (Buffalo, N.Y.) finished minding the store for the Bobcats. During his 35-plus minutes in the nets, Fahey allowed eight goals and recorded four saves.

The contest was a homecoming of sorts for Lees-McRae head coach Mat Edmunds. The LMC graduate spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at Wingate University. In addition, the Lees-McRae/Wingate game was the first-ever live lacrosse video broadcast for the Wingate University Sports Network. Former Wingate head coach John Dodd provided color commentary for the occasion. Dodd founded the Bulldog lacrosse program in 1996.

2009-03-14