Penalty kicks. Again.
For a third straight season, the Covenant men's soccer team saw its USA South Tournament championship match go to a penalty shootout. This time, the Scots came out on top.
Henry Hooks made saves on two N.C. Wesleyan kicks in the shootout and the Scots went 3-for-3 in their chances as Covenant claimed the USA South Tournament title with a 3-1 decision in PKs following a 0-0 draw at WakeMed Park on Saturday evening.
Covenant (11-3-4) advances to its second NCAA Tournament in program history, and the first since 2014.
It is the second USA South Tournament title for the Scots since joining the league in 2013.
The Scots will find out their destination and first round opponent on Monday with the NCAA Selection Show at 1:30 p.m. eastern time.
Saturday's title match saw limited chances to score on both sides as defenses stood tall. N.C. Wesleyan had an 11-10 edge in total shots, but Hooks made four saves to preserve the scoreless draw.
Covenant was outshot 7-1 in the opening half, but turned up the pressure in the second half. Jake Major and Griffin Felton had back-to-back chances in the 64th minute and Keegan Weekly got off an attempt in the 67th minute, but all were saved by N.C. Wesleyan keeper Fred Rogers.
N.C. Wesleyan's best chance to score came in the first overtime session as Juan Simoniello got loose inside the box before sending the ball wide of the target in the 94th minute. Neither team had a look in the second overtime session, meaning for a third straight year the Scots headed to PKs.
N.C. Wesleyan had the first go in the shootout, but Lorenzo Cocchia hit the crossbar on his attempt. Parker Owen calmly knocked in his chance to give the Scots a 1-0 edge. Simoniello then had his kick saved by Hooks before the Scots' Jay Patterson delivered to make it 2-0.
The teams traded scores in the third round with Kade Theunissen converting his chance for the Scots. Hooks then sealed the win with a diving save on Rodrigo Soto's attempt.
The tie extends Covenant's unbeaten streak to 14 matches making it the third-longest in program history and the longest since 1993 (16 straight).
Mercer Stout was named tournament MVP after collecting three goals with one assist in the tournament. Hooks, Patterson, Owen, and Austin Berry all earned All-Tournament honors.