Cary, NC. — The North Carolina Wesleyan men's soccer team closed out the 2026 regular season with a 1-1 draw against William Peace University on Wednesday evening at WakeMed Soccer Park, completing an unbeaten USA South regular season and securing the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
The Battling Bishops controlled the attack throughout the opening half, holding William Peace without a shot while generating nine attempts of their own. Lorenzo Bertoni nearly put NC Wesleyan in front in the ninth minute when his attempt struck the woodwork, while Jesper Fornebo and Cole Sheehan each put shots on goal during the opening 15 minutes.
Despite the consistent pressure, the match remained scoreless at halftime. NC Wesleyan continued to create opportunities after the break, with Jordi Rodriguez and Mikkel Christensen forcing back-to-back saves from William Peace goalkeeper Dallas Story in the opening minutes of the second half.
The Bishops continued pushing for the breakthrough throughout the second half. Joel McGinnes added multiple attempts, while Fornebo put another shot on goal in the 84th minute as NC Wesleyan kept the pressure on the Pacers.
NC Wesleyan finally broke through at the 84:44 mark when Riccardo Baisi found the back of the net off an assist from Christensen, giving the Bishops a late 1-0 advantage. William Peace answered in the closing minute, however, as Tambe Mboumien scored at 89:25 off an assist from Gabriel Faria Jr. to bring the match level at 1-1.
Baisi scored the lone goal for NC Wesleyan, while Christensen recorded the assist. Elliot Helander played all 90 minutes in goal and finished with two saves. The Bishops finished with 16 shots, including six on goal, while limiting William Peace to six total attempts. NC Wesleyan also held a 2-0 advantage in corner kicks.
With the regular season complete, the Battling Bishops finished USA South play unbeaten at 5-0-2 with 17 points to claim the No. 1 seed in the 2026 USA South Men's Soccer Tournament.
As the top seed, NC Wesleyan receives a first-round bye and will host a semifinal matchup on Wednesday, November 4. The Bishops will face the winner of No. 5 Methodist and No. 4 Pfeiffer, who meet in the first round on Saturday, October 31.
The winner of Wednesday's semifinal will advance to the USA South Championship match on Saturday, November 7, with the higher-seeded team hosting the final.
