Tag Archives: Soccer

Sports

Wingate’s Ross getting a foothold in pro soccer

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By Adam Riley II, Staff Writer 

Wingate alumnus Callum Ross is playing very well this season for the Charlotte Independence of the United Soccer League.

The rookie midfielder was a member of the 2016 Division II men’s soccer national championship team for Wingate just a season ago. And he scored his first — and so far only — professional goal for the Independence while still a Wingate student, in a game on May 12 against Pittsburgh.

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Former Wingate Bulldog star poses with The Weekly Triangle’s Adam Riley II after last Wednesday’s Charlotte Independence game in Matthews

He told this story to The Weeekly Triangle after playing in a 0-0 draw against Richmond last Wednesday at the Matthews Sportsplex:

“So the day before, I had a 10-page paper due, and I was up till like two in the morning. I got up the next morning and managed to grab my first goal It was a bit of hard work and just a bit of trying to balance my time and get some sleep when I could. I loved scoring my first goal and I’m still looking for my second one.”

Now he has a new routine as a professional.

“For me it’s trying to get to bed before 11 or at least get off my feet and get some rest, then I’m up early-ish like 7-7:30 a.m. or so up on the training room kind of pre-gym stuff and warming up, you know?”  Ross said.

“Usually by 1 or 2 p.m. we’re finished, then we get our lunch. I go to the gym a lot maybe two or three times a week just to keep on top of things throughout the season. It’s  a busy schedule but if you manage yourtime correctly and put your mind to it and concentrate it’s not too much. You’ve just got to stay on top of it.”

Meanwhile, he has climbed his way up the depth chart and into the starting lineup, starting in 13 of the 14 games he has played in his rookie season.

“For me it was a case of kind of waiting for my chance to start,” Ross says.

His patience finally paid off following the suspension of a teammate, for undisclosed reasons. Callum assumed the starter role at midfielder and since then he hasn’t looked back.

“Every week I’m just trying to improve, trying to learn, listening to the coaches things like that and trying to take the opportunities when I get them,” Ross said. “I love starting, love playing and playing football. Also, I just need to try to keep improving and see how many minutes I can get by the end of the season.”

The tie last Wednesday extended the Independence’s unbeaten streak to nine games, and Charlotte is one point behind Charleston in second place in the USL Eastern Division. Ross hopes that for the second straight season, he might be playing for a championship.

“We’ve been struggling to pick up points, things like that, but we know inside this locker room that there’s plenty of talented players and we’ve got a style of play where other teams struggle,” he said.

“But we know what we want to do. We’re not satisfied with playoffs now, we’re up there now with the best teams and we want to go all the way and win the league, and then carry that through the playoffs.”

 

 

 

 

Sports, Wingate University

Men’s soccer makes history as National Champions

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It’s the first national sports title for Bulldogs 

Kori Adams, Staff Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—–The Wingate men’s soccer team made history this Saturday night winning the Division II national championship.  The top ranked Bulldogs were led by All-American Jon Ander who scored two goals to force Wingate to a 2-0 victory over the University of Charleston.  Wingate finished the season 19-1 while the Golden Eagles fell to 19-3-2.

“It’s honestly the best feeling in the world…knowing that we are making this Wingate family proud,” Junior Mateo Correa says.  Coach Hamill has worked so hard to get us all here and doing this for him makes it feel even better.”

Throughout the national tournament Wingate did not allow one goal.  The Bulldog defense shut down the nation’s top ranked offense in the regional championship and the nation’s second ranked offense Saturday to win it all.  Throughout the season the Golden Eagles averaged 20 shots per game, but the Bulldog’s defense held them down to a season low of eight.  Damian Goana and Alex Nelson were a major part of Wingate’s strong defense.

Wingate imposed their offense in the last ten minutes of the first half when freshman, Oscar Perez assisted Ander who put it in the back of the net for the Bulldog’s first goal.  Wingate Nate Evans and Christian Szalay each had an attempted goal during the first half to keep the pressure on.

Charleston tried to tie the game early in the second half when Felipe Antonio attempted to head the ball for a goal, but it was saved by Wingate All-American goalkeeper Pablo Jara.  Ander scored once again later in the second half, giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 final lead to capture the national championship for the first time in history.

“The whole way through we have had a lot of support from home and it has been absolutely fantastic,” says head coach Gary Hamill.

Ander, Jara, Szalay, Goana, and Nelson all were named to the All-Tournament Team.  Ander received the Most Outstanding Offensive Player while teammate Nelson received the Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

The National Champions arrived back at Wingate University Sunday afternoon where a crowd of students welcomed them in celebration of the historical day.

Edited by: Sara Gunter

Sports

Wingate Soccer Preps for Last Game in Season

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Number 1 Team in the Nation Preps for Last Game

Zeriq Lolar, Staff Writer

With fall sports taking its end in the regular season, one team has been shining through it all. Wingate Men’s soccer team has reached the highest honor of ranking #1 in the nation for division 2.

Wingate has a record of 13-0, with only letting their opponents scoring one goal per game. But being ranked number one in the nation is a big task to uphold, “the target gets bigger and bigger the more you move up in the rankings,” Says Junior defender James Scott (Newcastle, Eng.).

With regionals coming right around the corner the Wingate Bulldogs have a big test on October 29th when they face the seventh ranked Tusculum Pioneers in a dog fight. Wingate Midfielder David Fairgrieve (Newcastle, Eng.) says their success comes from their mentality.  “Honestly, I think it’s been the team’s mentality of taking every game at a time. It’s important we don’t get ahead of ourselves. We have absolutely everything we need from our coaches to facilities to do well, therefore it’s up to us on the pitch to go do it. We are a massive family, who have each other’s backs and stick together.”

Team captain Callum Ross also had some words that would give his team a sense of peace about the situation, “We have tried to think about it (ranking) as little as possible, at the end of the day its just a number and means nothing if we don’t win trophies. But I suppose it makes teams step their game up against us.”

So from the words of the captain, although the feeling of being ranked number 1 in the US is pretty great. The team must stay strong and motivated in order to bring home the gold. The team is now in preparation mode for their game against Tusculum on October 29th at Wingate.

After the last game comes the preparation for the SAC Tournament. Tournament begins November 1st. Needless to say the pressure is on to maintain the number 1 spot in the nation but Wingate sure can do it.

Edited by: Sara Gunter

Sports

Wingate Soccer hosts Alumni

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Alumni homecoming, reflecting on the past

Delaney Smith, Staff Writer

October 14-15 the Wingate Soccer Program celebrated the opening of its new field house by hosting an Alumni Weekend. The festivities began Friday night with a get together at the field house and a co-ed alumni game.

On Saturday between the women’s and men’s games, the Head Coach’s office was dedicated to Coach Jerry Sutton who served as the founding head coach of the senior college men’s soccer team in 1980-81.

“The most rewarding part of having the head soccer coach’s office named for me and the players from the first two years is that the program has continued to progress and be very successful,” stated Sutton.

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Currently, the men’s soccer team is undefeated, has been declared the 2016 conference winner, and is ranked #1 in the NCAA top 25 poll. Anyone attending a home game will notice a well groomed field with stands for the fans, a beautiful two story field house, lights for night games, and plenty of parking. But in 1980 when Sutton began the program none of those things existed.

Sutton remembers the start, “we began the program with only a few players that had past experience at a time when soccer was just being established in most high schools.” Soccer was not a prominent sport in the south and recruiting players who had ever played soccer was difficult.“We were playing against teams that were very well established and who had a number of international players who were experienced as their base.”

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Wingate was without a soccer field in those years. The team practiced on a rocky field that was an old football field, and Sutton said they had to travel normally twice a week for a number of miles to play the games. “This would have been stressful even with a team of experienced players.”

During last year’s homecoming, Sutton was honored for beginning the program 35 years ago. Many of his players from the first team surprised him to be there for the memorable night. They have kept in touch with one another over the years, bonded by the experience of learning the game of soccer and helping to establish a program. “As I look back on those days, I think we as a team can be proud of the fact that we became competitive from the way we practiced. We also established a bond and played the games with heart and enthusiasm.”

This year, current head coach Gary Hamill celebrated his 25th year at Wingate and 300 wins. The team has developed into a nationally recognized program that attracts players from all over the world.  

“My hope is that the players who play for Wingate now will look around and see the great facilities and realize that this was established and seeded by the players and coaches from the first two years of Wingate soccer,” says Sutton.

Edited by: Sara Gunter

Sports, Wingate University

Wingate Seeks Donations for the Namesake of the Newest Building!

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Wingate working on naming the new Health and Wellness Facility

Kendall Sienon, Staff Writer

Wingate, N.C. — Have you ever wanted a building named after you? Well now’s your chance! Wingate University’s newest construction, The Health and Wellness Center is running smoothly. In fact, they are accepting donations for the building’s namesake! But most importantly, we have an exclusive look at the newest features of this center.

Wingate University’s new Health and Wellness Center is going to be a fresh take on fitness with “fantastic equipment and state of the art features.” The building will include a new, modern lobby space with a functioning scanning system and optical gates to allow student entry.

There will be locker rooms for not only students but for faculty and staff as well. The updated strength room will be triple the size of the current one in the DPC. A two-court wood floor for basketball, two racquetball courts, and a Multiple Activities Court (or MAC) will be installed on the first level. The MAC is a multipurpose area designed for many different sports including indoor soccer, floor hockey, and lacrosse. Additionally, there will be office suites for coaches and staff as well as administrative offices.

On the second floor, there will be two group fitness rooms, a room designed for cycling class, an indoor track, and designated cardio areas. Brand-new TVs will fill the space as well as built-in Internet, Netflix, and a whole new dose of technology that will change the way students work out. “There will be something for everyone,” says Dei Reich, Director of Campus Recreation who also is assisting in heading the project.

With the new construction, there will be a few changes to Campus Recreation. For one, there will be a plethora of new jobs available for students. The hours will be extending to allow everyone the opportunity to use the new facility. There is a hope for increase participation in intramural sports and to influence students to “Unleash an Active Lifestyle”, a mantra Campus Rec and its staff members try to instill upon Wingate students.

“I’m excited for our students,” states Dei Reich. “This will be a great place for our students to play, work out, be active, and be social.”

Scheduled to be open in January 2017, it couldn’t come at a better time. The New Year, New Me resolution most people take will hopefully give students, faculty, and staff a perfect opportunity to use the facility! Look for advertising after Fall Break for student job opportunities and potential information about training.

Edited by: Sara Gunter

Sports, Uncategorized, Wingate University

Fellowship of Christian Athletes connects WU athletes, faith

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Religion and Sports, What do they have in common?

Brandon Bowles, Staff Writer

            Religion is one the most controversial topics of discussion in today’s society. People struggle to find their identity and what they do or do not believe in. There are numerous avenues that compete for the attention of today’s youth.

Things like TV, social media and other sources of entertainment have poisoned the minds of youth and put a stranglehold on their ability to think for themselves and fill their lives with the truth of the Gospel. Christian organizations like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) have been tasked with bringing youth closer to the Gospel through the avenue of sport for over 60 years.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes was established on November 10, 1954. Founder Don McClanen decided to base the FCA out of Kansas City in 1956. McClanen’s vision was based on the idea that “if athletes can endorse shaving cream, razor blades and cigarettes, surely they can endorse the Lord, too.” He wanted the athletes to be portrayed as good Christian men in the eyes of the youth across the nation.

Branch Rickey, famed owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, was one of the first supporters of the FCA, along with John Wooden, former University of California of Los Angeles men’s basketball coach.

Wingate University first had the FCA in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. This organization was originally led by Steve Jirgal, who is now the lead pastor at Lake View Baptist in Monroe, North Carolina. Wingate was without the FCA for years after Jirgal left, until current lead pastor Shannon Powell relaunched the program in the fall of 2013.

Since the program’s revival, it has steadily continued to grow, though the first 2 years were tough. To help with the immense growth of the program, Powell put student interns in place and gave them an area of concentration.

To name a few, Kyle Johnson is in charge of establishing a Bible study for each athletic team on campus. Caitlin Coughlin is in charge of marketing and advertising the FCA to students on campus. Brison Burton and Bethany Millar are in charge of putting on special events outside of the normal meeting time, which takes place on Monday nights, beginning at 8:45 P.M. in Helms Forum, located in the DPC. Abby Saehler is in control of putting the plans together for Monday nights. Aria Smith is in charge of leading worship music, while Skylar Ricard is in charge of leading prayer. I myself, am also a part of this team of interns. I am in charge of bringing Wingate University’s FCA out into the community with local missions.

In particular, one of the possible events for the Wingate Chapter of FCA includes a chipping competition. The goal of this event is to promote the FCA to students around campus. Another objective is the possible collaboration with the Steagall home for disabled adults. This event allows everyone involved with the Wingate FCA to give back to the community and impact people in a positive way.

A Wingate FCA magazine is also in the process of being written, which will feature what they have accomplished in and around Wingate. No dates have been set for these events, but the magazine is projected to be released later this year.

There are no requirements to join the FCA. All are welcome, rostered athlete or not. As stated above, the mission of the FCA is to preach the truth of the Gospel using the platform of sport to bring youths closer to the Lord.

As you can see, the Wingate University chapter of FCA has a bright future and will continue to do their best to bring young college students closer to the Lord. If you would like to learn more about what the Wingate University FCA is doing, feel free to contact Shannon Powell at spowell@fca.org.

Edited by: Sara Gunter

 

 

 

Sports

Columbus State vs. Wingate University Women’s Soccer

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Second Game for Wingate Women’s Soccer

Callum Ross, Staff Writer

 

The Columbus State Cougars edged the Wingate University Bulldogs 2-1 in the final game of the CSU Collegiate Invitational Sunday evening. Columbus State, the second ranked team in the country improves to 2-0-0, meanwhile the Bulldogs fall to 0-1-1.

All is not doom and gloom for the Bulldogs after giving a very good account of themselves, and they were especially sharp out the blocks with two shots on goal in the opening five minutes. Sophomores Gabby Caliendo and Kimmi Moore were on target for the Bulldogs, however the tide turned midway through the first half with junior goalkeeper Alexis Jones being tested three times before the half-hour mark.

Shortly after, the Cougars got on the board when first team All-American Nicole Corcione scored from a through ball from Hugrun Elvarsdottir. Wingate pushed at the Cougars having taken 7 shots in the opening half but the 1-0 lead remained going into the interval.

The tie remained a close encounter and Wingate leveled up proceedings 18 minutes into the second half when Moore got on the end of senior forward Brooke Howell’s cross, finding the corner of the net and tying the game up 1-1.

The Bulldogs suffered a lack of concentration and took a real motivational blow by conceding less then two minutes later when Riley Clark netted the Cougars second of the evening regaining the lead 2-1 heading into the final twenty minutes.

The Bulldogs struggled to find an answer to a very strong Columbus State side and the game finished 2-1 with the Cougars outshooting the Bulldogs 23-14, and shots on target 13-6. Jones piled up a career-high 11 saves for Wingate meanwhile Moore had three shots, all of which tested the keeper.

“This was a good test for us and I feel it has shown us the little things we need to work on very soon into the season, which will help us for later on in the big games. We are going to focus on playing with just as much intensity and continue to work on the small things we need to fix,” said Sophomore Kimmi Moore.

The Bulldogs are back in action Wednesday evening, hosting Pheiffer at 6p.m. where they will look to bounce back from this defeat and get the first win of the 2016 campaign.

Find out more information about Wingate Women’s Soccer: www.wingatebulldogs.com

Edited by: Sara Gunter