WINGATE, N.C. – A late, fierce rally was not enough to keep the Wolves’ season alive as they dropped a tight contest to Wingate University on Saturday afternoon, 10-9.

Newberry finishes the season 5-10 overall and 2-6 in South Atlantic Conference play. By virtue of the standings, the loser of the game was eliminated from the SAC Tournament that takes place this upcoming week. The Bulldogs improved to 9-7 overall and 4-4 in the SAC while clinching a berth in the tournament.

Trailing 10-3 with just six minutes remaining in the contest and the threat of missing the South Atlantic Conference Tournament looming, Newberry came alive. The Wolves howled back, scoring six straight goals to pull within one and just 45 seconds left to play.

Wingate’s Paulena Dempsey turned the ball over on a failed clear attempt with 36 seconds remaining. The Wolves then completed their clear attempt and took the ball down into the Bulldogs’ restrictive zone. With just 21 seconds remaining, Newberry took their last chance as Jessica Baxtrom (St. Leonard, Md.) had her potential game-tying shot saved by Nicole Hinkle.

Baxtrom scored a game-high five goals for Newberry while Ajahna Grosvenor (Lawrenceville, Ga.) scored two goals. Victoria Thomas (Manhattan, Kan.) had one goal and an assist while Megan Kenny (Mauldin, S.C.) rounded out the scoring with one goal.

The Wolves outshot the Bulldogs 26-23 and 22-18 in shots on goal. Newberry also was able to hold an edge in draw controls as they gained possession on 13 of the 21. The Wolves went 16-for-25 on clear attempts while Wingate went 16-for-25. Wingate turned the ball over 24 times compared to 19 turnovers for Newberry.

A slow and low-scoring first half from Newberry gave way late in the second half. After going over 20 minutes with scoring a goal, Grosvenor got things going again scoring an unassisted goal with six minutes left. Baxtrom would score again just 33 seconds later directly after Newberry gained the draw control and again 34 seconds after that goal. Kenny also added to the tally to bring the score to 10-7 with 4:29 left.

A tense three minute span in which the Wolves continued to look for two more goals turned to aggressiveness that paid off with a Baxtrom goal from a free position shot with 56 seconds left. The Wolves would score again wasting no time with Grosvenor putting one in 11 seconds after that. The Wolves got their one last chance to score before a Bulldog save finally ended the ambitious comeback attempt.

The first half saw Wingate hold a 14-13 shots advantage but only a 4-2 lead as the teams headed into the break.

Newberry finishes the season in seventh place in the SAC standings, the top six teams make the SAC Conference Tournament.