Cobras Move into First Place with 8-6 SAC Win Over Bulldogs

WINGATE, N.C. – The Coker men's lacrosse team moved to 3-0 all-time against rival Wingate University after an 8-6 South Atlantic Conference win Wednesday (Mar. 25) night. The win improves the Cobras to 6-3 overall and 4-1 in conference play, which puts them in a four-way tie for first place in the SAC standings.

The Bulldogs would strike first in the opening period, but Coker would close out the period with two unanswered goals to take a 2-1 lead. The second period would see the Navy and Yellow open the game up, scoring four goals and only allowing one to go into the locker rooms up 6-2.

Both teams would tally one goal in the third frame of action to send the game into the fourth with a score of 7-3. The Cobras would net one more goal in the fourth and Wingate would score three to make a late push, but Coker would prevail with an 8-4 victory.

Josh Smith would lead the way with three goals and nine ground balls, while Mike Martiello netted two scores and handed out one assist. The trio of John Bretton, Rylee Marsh and Shane Wilson each tallied one goal. Josh Wassum dished out a game-high two assists.

Defensively, Tim Ryan made 18 saves in 60 minutes of action, while John Elliot caused two turnovers.

Coker will conclude its three-game road trip on Saturday (Mar. 28) with a SAC matchup with the Indians of Catawba College. The game is slated for a 7 p.m. start.