LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. - The #1 East Seeded NC Wesleyan College Men's Soccer team defeated West #2 seed Maryville College (TN) 1-0 on Friday afternoon in the semifinals of the USA South Conference Tournament in Covenant College, GA.
After a scoreless first half saw the Bishops lead by a commanding 9-2 edge, Wesleyan would finally break through with the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute of action as junior midfielder Dom Giovannini knocked in his third goal of the season off an assist from sophomore first team all-conference midfielder Matteo Costa. The assist was Costa's third of the year as he now has 25 points on the season.
Wesleyan also had an 8-6 lead in shots in the second half and outshot the Scots 17-8 overall with sophomore third team goalkeeper Tobias Borzel making 5 saves on 5 shots on goal for his 10th shutout of the season.
Costa also led with 6 shots and 4 on goal as his Bishops improved to 16-2-1 on the year with their 10th straight win. Maryville ends the year 11-9. The win was a bit of revenge for the Bishops as well as Maryville ended Wesleyan's season last year in the semifinals.
Wesleyan will now battle top-seeded and host Covenant College (18-2-1) on Saturday at 6:00 PM in the USA South Final. It will be a rematch of Covenant's 4-1 win earlier this season over the Bishops.
The Bishops are seeking their 4th tournament crown.
Video of the final can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKB_0mxquDg