Sun May 23 2021 | Matt Hamilton | College
COURTESY LENOIR-RHYNE ATHLETICS
Lenoir-Rhyne’s dream season will continue into the NCAA Division II Men’s national championship game — the Bears’ first appearance in the final in program history.
Before Lenoir-Rhyne could book its ticket to Hartford, it had to get past South Atlantic Conference rival Wingate for a second time this season. Thanks to six goals and an assist from star attackman Eric Dickinson, the Bears pulled away for a comfortable 18-10 win over the Bulldogs in the NCAA semifinals.
Four different scorers helped Lenoir-Rhyne, playing at home in front of a raucous crowd, jump out to a 4-1 lead at the end of the first quarter. Dickinson had two goals in the second quarter, a back-and-forth period that saw the Bears emerge with an 8-4 halftime lead.