ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — Averett men's soccer had its season ended with a 5-0 loss to fourth-seeded N.C. Wesleyan College in the USA South Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
Averett (6-12), making its seventh consecutive postseason appearance, had difficulty keeping N.C. Wesleyan (9-8-1) off the board. The Battling Bishops found the net three times in the first 20 minutes to build a 3-0 advantage. N.C. Wesleyan had another chance to add to its lead, but senior goalkeeper
John Matrisciano came up with a beautiful save on a penalty kick to keep the Cougars' deficit at three heading into the break.
The Cougars stepped up their defensive pressure in the second half, not allowing a goal until the 70th minute.
Despite the loss, Averett had another impressive game on the offensive end of the ball. The Cougars added 16 shots to finish the season with four consecutive games with double-digit shots. Sophomore
Tobias Andreasson paced Averett with three shots, while freshman
David Cuperman and seniors
Jordan Palma and
Brian Benitez each added two.
Matrisciano had a solid day between the sticks, recording seven saves on the afternoon.