WINGATE, N.C. -- The No. 10 Trojans picked up their tenth win of the season in convincing style on Saturday afternoon, winning their first-ever Top-10 matchup in program history over the No. 9 Bulldogs by a score of 15-13. The win pushes Anderson to 7-1 in South Atlantic Conference play, securing the Black and Gold a solo spot in second place in the SAC standings with two league games left to play.
"Exciting game to be a part of," said Head Coach Albert Mitchell. "We came out hot and did a great job off the ground. We definitely have to finish better, but it was good to see guys step up and make the plays when the game was on the line."
AU opened the scoring just 30 seconds into play with Cole Sparks (West Islip, N.Y.) finding his 19th goal of the season from the stick of Garrett Krsul (Lutz, Fla.). Sparks would go on to combine a brace with a trio of assists in the contest, pushing his season point-total to 57.
Wingate answered a few minutes later, before Max Calabrese (Auburn, Ga.) closed out the quarter giving Anderson back the lead with his first of two goals.
Q2 saw the Trojans put away six unanswered, including back-to-back behind-the-back goals from Brayden Bushnoe (Myrtle Beach, S.C.). He proceeded to score two more, leading the team with four goals on the day. Wingate added two back in the final minute of the opening half, cutting the Trojan lead to four going into the break.
Matthew Rodgers (Carmel, Ind.) added to the Black & Gold tally in the opening minute of the second half, securing his second hattrick of the season. He also added a pair of assists to combine for five points on the afternoon.
The Bulldogs went on a run late, bringing the game back within one in the fourth quarter. The scoreline sat at 13-12 with three minutes on the clock as Frankie Pagnotta (Hauppauge, N.Y.) dialed up a long pole rocket to push the Trojan lead back to two. Wingate answered, forcing the game to 14-13 with two minutes left to play. A Rodgers goal assisted by Brodie Deutsch (Wilmington, N.C.) would seal the deal, however, and the Trojans took home a 15-13 victory.
The Trojans and Bulldogs were nearly even across every stat category, with WU outshooting AU 54 to 52, but Anderson having 30 of those shots on frame compared to Wingate's 29. The Trojans had 20 turnovers and 41 groundballs, while the Bulldogs totaled 21 TOs and 39 GBs.
Adin Laughlin (Wooster, Ohio) tied his career-high between the posts, tallying 16 saves. Wingate's goalie recorded 15 saves on the afternoon.
Anderson will close out the home portion of the 2025 regular season next Saturday (April 19). Opening faceoff is scheduled for noon, following Senior Day festivities.
