WINGATE, N.C.  – The Queens University of Charlotte men's lacrosse team faced Wingate University this afternoon in a battle for second place in South Atlantic Conference play. The Royals fell 10-9 to the Bulldogs to close the regular season at 8-6 overall and 5-3 in the league. Wingate closes with a 9-5 season record and a 7-1 SAC record.
 
Kevin Barry led the Royals today after scoring five goals to match his career high. Jesse Oliver added two goals while Reed Murphy and Quinn Tallant each tallied one goal and one assist. Anthony Valenza took the loss in goal after recording season-high 13 saves.
 
Barry got things going early for Queens scoring the first two goals of the game. However, the Bulldogs responded with four unanswered goals to take a 4-2 lead with 5:44 left in the opening period. Barry then scored a man-up goal at 3:20 giving the freshman three goals in just the first quarter, but Wingate found the back of the net once more to take a 5-3 lead heading into the second quarter.
 
The second quarter was all Queens as they scored four straight goals to take a 7-5 lead at 2:55. Wingate would find one goal in the period to make it a one-point game, 7-6, at the halftime break.
 
The third quarter was quiet on both ends until the Bulldogs were able to score three straight goals in the final five minutes of action to take over the lead, 9-7.
 
A goal from Wingate at 9:14 in the fourth capped a five-goal run for the Bulldogs that spanned three quarters, yet they still held just a three-point lead over the Royals. Queens' Barry scored his fifth of the day with 8:08 left to play cutting the margin to two, and a goal from Oliver at 1:30 would make it a one-point game, 10-9.
 
Tallant would have the final shot of the day with 16 seconds left to play to try to knot the game up before the end of regulation and force overtime, but his shot went wide of the net.  
 
Queens was outshot this afternoon, 48-26, as they put 18 shots on goal to Wingate's 23 shots on frame. Wingate also won the battle for ground balls, 29-17. Queens' Drew Flack won 10-of-20 faceoffs on the day.
 
Jeremy Sullivan, Seth Grimwood, Conor Gronbach, and Alex Llerandi each scored twice in the game. Ryan Ahrens took the win in goal after recording nine saves.
 
Today's loss puts the Royals in fourth place at the close of the regular season and they will serve as one of the hosts for the quarterfinal round of the SAC Championships on Tuesday, April 24 at 4 p.m. The semifinals and finals will take place on the campus of Wingate University on Friday, April 27 and Sunday, April 29.