Rocky Mount, NC - The North Carolina Wesleyan men's soccer team clinched the 2025 USA South Conference Championship in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon, defeating Methodist 3-2 in overtime at Scalf Field to secure an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The win marks the fifth conference title in program history and the first since 2019.

The second-seeded Battling Bishops (9-8-2) opened the scoring early as Corentin Solitaire buried a penalty kick in the seventh minute to give Wesleyan the lead. That would stand as the only shot on target for either side in the opening half, sending the Bishops into the break up 1-0.

Methodist (6-4-11) responded quickly after halftime with a goal from Angel Alarcon in the 49th minute and later pulled ahead in the 83rd minute when Carson Stretz found the back of the net. The Bishops refused to back down, and with less than two minutes to play, Solitaire connected again — this time off an assist from Mohamed Macalou — to tie the match at 2-2 and force overtime.

In the fourth minute of extra time, Nicolas Sautua seized control of the ball deep in the Monarch zone, maneuvered past a defender, and drilled the golden goal into the net to deliver the championship to Wesleyan and send the Scalf Field crowd into celebration.

Goalkeeper Jacob Westermark earned the win in net, while Wesleyan outshot Methodist 12-6 and held a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Four Bishops were named to the USA South All-Tournament Team: Israel Monsanto, Tom Roantree, Nicolas Sautua, and Jordi Rodriguez. Solitaire was honored as the Tournament Most Valuable Player after his two-goal performance in the title match.

With the victory, Wesleyan earns the USA South's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, with first-round matchups to be announced Monday.