Rocky Mount, NC. — The North Carolina Wesleyan women's soccer team closed out the 2026 regular season on Wednesday evening at Scalf Field, battling Meredith College in a 2-0 USA South setback before turning its attention to postseason play.
The Battling Bishops came out aggressive from the opening whistle, generating three opportunities in the first four minutes. Kennedy Tabler and Kylee Casola each put shots on goal, while Mckayla Farrow added another attempt as NC Wesleyan looked to strike early.
Meredith broke through at the 4:35 mark when Evelyn Hopkins scored off an assist from Sam Carroll to give the Avenging Angels a 1-0 advantage. NC Wesleyan continued to create chances throughout the opening half, with Samantha Fore putting an attempt on goal in the 25th minute before Abby Smith forced another save in the 40th.
The Bishops were forced to play a player down following a red card late in the opening half, but continued to battle throughout the remainder of the match. Allie O'Leary entered in goal and helped keep NC Wesleyan within striking distance.
Meredith added its second goal at the 52:38 mark when Rachel Ward found the back of the net. O'Leary responded with a strong performance between the posts, recording seven saves over the final 48 minutes as the Bishops continued to compete despite playing shorthanded.
NC Wesleyan continued searching for a breakthrough in the second half, with Casola recording a pair of attempts as the Bishops pushed forward. The defense and O'Leary also turned away several late Meredith opportunities to keep the margin at two through the final whistle.
The Bishops finished the night with nine shots, including four on goal. Casola led NC Wesleyan with three attempts, while Smith added two and Fore, Goodwin, Farrow and Tabler each recorded one.
With the regular season complete, NC Wesleyan now turns its focus to the 2026 USA South Women's Soccer Tournament. The Battling Bishops earned the No. 8 seed after finishing conference play with 10 points and will travel to No. 1 seed Southern Virginia for a first-round matchup on Saturday, October 31.
The winner of NC Wesleyan and Southern Virginia will advance to the USA South semifinals on Wednesday, November 4, to face the winner of No. 5 Mary Baldwin and No. 4 Pfeiffer.
