FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Southern Virginia University men's soccer team dropped a tight one Tuesday evening, falling in double overtime to Methodist in the first round of the USA South conference tournament.

The back and forth affair was entertaining from the opening whistle with seven total goals in the game and six in regular time.

Methodist would kick off the scoring in the 23^rd minute after Spencer Young stopped a Christopher Shoffler shot but was unable to corral the ball that fell to a dangerous position inside the box. Hudson Zeisman was the first one to get a touch on it, beating out a Knight defender to the ball to slam it into the back of the net.

The Knights did not let the goal effect their confidence or game plan, fighting back to even the score line before half time. The goal came off a brilliant shot from freshman Reed Robertson who received Sam Melo's pass and lofted the ball over Methodist's goalkeeper, Matthew Walker's head to score his second goal of the season.

Southern Virginia would get an early lift to start the second half, scoring in just over a minute of play into the second 45. The goal, scored on a corner kick, was freshman Luke Hemenway's first of the campaign.

The 2-1 lead for the Knights would not last long with the Monarchs scoring just 17 seconds later. The goal, Zeisman's second of the game, was eerily similar to Robertson's from the first half. The Methodist forward looked to put the ball into a dangerous position into the middle of the box but it drifted over the head and past Sean Gutzman who manned the goal for the Knights for the rest of the match.

Reed Robertson's 59^th minute tally, his second of the contest, would give his team a 3-2 lead. The Columbus, Ohio native was the benefactor of great team pressing with Dallin Miller and Ammon Lewis combining to regain possession of the ball in the attacking third. Lewis sent in a wonderful ball through the box and Robertson would get a touch on it and put it past Walker.

The Knights seemed to have found a winner in the 82^nd minute after Lewis won the ball back near the corner flag and passed it to teammate Colton Oman who passed it into the top corner of the net. After some deliberation between the referees, the goal was disallowed.

Methodist continued to push forward and would tie the game in the 86^th minute. Gutzman made a diving stop but the ball landed kindly for Casey Atwell who slotted it through traffic and into the back of the net.

With all the momentum now on their side, the Monarchs searched for the game-winner in the remaining minutes of the match. Multiple opportunities would present themselves but they were unable to capitalize and the game headed to overtime with 90 minutes not being enough to separate the two sides.

Atwell would add a second goal in the fourth minute of the first 10 minute period of overtime to give Methodist the lead. Ryan Rivera played the ball into a crowded box where his teammates awaited an opportunity to get a head to the ball. Atwell pounced, leaping over a Southern Virginia defender with his header finding the side netting, impossible for Gutzman to save.

The Knights sent everyone forward to try and find an equalizer but were unsuccessful. Atwell's overtime tally for the Monarchs would be the game-winner, launching them into a spot in the semifinals and ending the 2022 campaign for Southern Virginia in devastating fashion.

"I am so proud of the team," said head coach Payden Pemberton after the match. "The resilience and fight they showed this entire season were special. There were a lot of tough moments throughout the year, including getting scored on and going behind in the first half today, but the team fought back. I thought we deserved more from today's game, but at the end of the day I couldn't be prouder."

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