WINGATE, NC – For 62 minutes and 54 seconds on Saturday afternoon, Florida Tech women's lacrosse went toe to toe with one of the nation's best teams. Ultimately, in a sport where one goal can make all the difference, that's exactly what played as the Panthers fell in overtime to No. 15 ranked Wingate, 15-14, as Kaleigh Wilgeroth's goal with six seconds remaining in the first overtime decided the game.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 14, #15 Wingate 15 (OT)
Records: Florida Tech (0-2, 0-0 SSC) | #15 Wingate (1-0, 0-0 SAC)
Locations: Irwin Belk Stadium | Wingate, NC

FIRST QUARTER: 

• Gillian Craig broke the ice just over three minutes into the game to put Tech in front
• Craig then doubled her tally and the Panthers' lead four and a half minutes later.
• Wingate responded with a four-goal flourish in 2:20 thanks to goals from Emily Blakely, Jamie Weber, Bree Solero and Claire Fuchs.
• Sophia Scichilone got the Crimson and Gray back on their feet with a goal at the 3:26 to shrink the deficit to one.
• The Bulldogs countered with two goals in just over a minute from Fuchs and Megan Millard.
• Sofie Bender closed the scoring for the quarter with a goal with 51 seconds remaining.

SECOND QUARTER: 

• Thanks to great work on the draw from Emma Angelo and Phoebe Hurt, the Panthers for nearly the first five minutes of the second quarter. That would allow them to equalize through goals from Scichilone and Craig separate by one minute and eight seconds.
• Wingate re-took the lead on their first possession of the frame through a goal by Blakely at the 9:30 mark.
• After Tech's defense forced a turnover, Craig's fourth goal of the half would knot the affair at seven with 6:34 remaining.
• 90 seconds later, Scichilone completed her first half hat trick to put Florida Tech back on top.
• A yellow card on the ensuing draw put the Panthers a woman up for the next three minutes and Charlotte Hardie's free position goal just over a minute later made sure it would count.
• The Bulldogs appeared to be going to the locker room with the momentum as goals in the final minute of the half from Millard and Jamie Weber tied the game at seven.
• However, Clare McGuire won the draw and then fired home with four seconds remaining to give the Crimson and Gray a 10-9 advantage at the break.

THIRD QUARTER: 

• The Bulldogs found their way back into the game three minutes into the second half following a yellow card against the Panthers, Wilgeroth leveled the score once again.
• While shorthanded, a turnover caused by Ashley Walter ultimately helped to set up Bender's second goal of the afternoon, giving Tech an 11-10 lead.
• Danielle Scarfogliero would even the game at 11 just over three minutes later.
• Bender would make it a hat trick just before the four minute mark and Florida Tech would take an 11-10 lead into the fourth quarter.

 
FOURTH QUARTER: 

• After both teams had multiple attacks to start the quarter, Hardie found Bender for her fourth goal of the game with 11:48 to go.
• Goals from Meghan Higgins and Fuchs in the span of 31 seconds tied the game at 13 with 6:17 remaining.
• After a turnover, Neilda Watson took a feed from Millard and found the back of the net, appearing to land the decisive blow with 4:05 left.
• When the Bulldogs attempted to kill the game off inside 20 seconds but could not clear, Kelsey Richardson called timeout with nine seconds remaining.
• Out of the chaos of the Crimson and Gray's last gasp, Michaela Wittman could not have picked a better time for her first goal of the season, tying the game with one second on the clock.

 
OVERTIME: 

• The Panthers won the opening draw of the extra period but Phoebe Hurt's attempt to win it went wide.
• The Bulldogs' first possession of overtime ended in an unforced turnover.
• An attempted clearance by Tech ended in a turnover giving Wingate one more chance to win the game in the fifth period.
• A foul against Florida Tech with six seconds left gave Wilgeroth a free position opportunity to end, which she did.

 
NOTABLE PANTHERS: 

• Sofie Bender led the Panthers with five points and four goals.
• Sophia Scichilone tallied four points and three goals along with two caused turnovers and two ground balls.
• Gillian Craig's four goals were her most since netting four on February 24, 2023 at Lincoln Memorial.
• Charlotte Hardie had a team-high six ground balls and four caused turnovers while adding a goal and an assist.
• Freshman Clare McGuire recorded nine draw controls.
• Phoebe Hurt provided five draw controls, three caused turnovers and three ground balls.
• Freshman Bryce Forrest contributed three caused turnovers and three ground balls.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Wingate ended with more groundballs (26-25).
• Tech had the advantage in total shots (32-27), shots on goal (23-19) and draw controls (18-13).
• The Panthers were 19-23 on the clears, while Wingate was 18-22.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech moves to 0-2 all-time against Wingate

UP NEXT: Florida Tech conclude their North Carolina road trip tomorrow in Hickory, when they face Lenoir-Rhyne. The opening draw is scheduled for 1 P.M.
 
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech women's lacrosse team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.