WINGATE, N.C. – The Barton men's lacrosse team (0-1) took on one of the best teams in the nation and suffered a 24-8 setback to Wingate (1-0) in the 2023 season opener Saturday afternoon at Irwin Belk Stadium.
Wingate, ranked No. 6 in NCAA Division II, was spearheaded by Danny Riley (Smithtown, N.Y.) and Willie Grieco (Lawrenceville, Ga.) with five goals each in the victory.
A pair of Barton players – senior attacker
Mason Chaney (Dunkirk, Md.) and
Nick Nelson (Wilmington, N.C.) – had two goals in the losing effort.
Clinging to a 6-4 advantage after Barton scored the first three goals of the second stanza, Wingate took control from there after finding the back of the net seven straight times. Wingate held a decisive edge in both shots taken (68-28) and ground balls (64-29) while Johnny Caponi (Oakland, N.J.) earned the win in goal for the home team after stopping nine shots.
Barton redshirt freshman goalkeeper
Drew Wheeler (Fuquay-Varina, N.C.) made seven saves but suffered the loss for the visitors.
Barton looks to bounce back on Saturday, February 11, when the Bulldogs host Young Harris beginning at 1:00 p.m., while Wingate hosts Mercyhurst Saturday at Noon.
