MARYVILLE, Tenn. -- The Covenant women's soccer team saw its season come to a close on Friday evening with a 1-0 loss to Methodist in the semifinal round of the USA South Tournament in Maryville.

Covenant, which advanced to the semifinals after defeating Wesleyan and Piedmont in the first two rounds of the tournament, finishes 11-7-1 overall. Methodist (8-10) advances to Saturday's championship match against either No. 1 West seed Maryville or No. 2 East seed Meredith.

An early second half goal was all Methodist needed to take the victory. The Monarchs scored in the 49th minute when Emily Borel notched her first goal of the season, assisted by Sara Snotherly, to take a 1-0 lead.

Covenant had few chances throughout the match as the Methodist defense stood tall. The Lady Scots put two shots on goal in the second half, one by Lizzy Hightower in the 68th minute and another by Molly Kate McClearn in the 75th minute, but both were saved by keeper Emily Benton to keep Covenant off the board. Megan Rasku took Covenant's first attempt in the second half, but missed the mark.

The Lady Scots stayed within striking distance thanks to nine saves by Rachel Lemay at the net. Methodist held a 20-3 shot advantage in the match, with 11 of those shots on target. The Monarchs also had two chances go off the post and the crossbar.

Covenant was making its first appearance in the USA South semifinal round since 2013. The 11 wins this year marked the seventh time in the last eight seasons that the Lady Scots have recorded double-digit win totals.

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