The Lenoir-Rhyne Men’s Soccer Team’s run in the 2023 SAC Tournament has come to an end, following a 1-0 defeat to No. 2 seeded Limestone.

Claudel N’goubou drilled the game-winning goal for the Saints in the 66th minute to set up a match with No. 1 seeded Wingate in the SAC Championship.

After being listed at the No. 10 spot in the latest edition of the NCAA Regional Rankings, the Bears will now have to play the waiting game to see if their name will get called for the NCAA Division 2 playoffs.

The Bears failed to register a single shot on goal, while the Saints recorded four. Similar to their match back on Sept. 16 with 33 total fouls, the two sides accumulated 29 total fouls in the semifinal match. Juan Basabe recorded one of the three LR shots in the match. The goalkeeper sent a header just wide of the goal in the final minute.

LR won the corner kick battle, having five kicks from the flag compared to the Saints’ four. Colton Elisasen, Jonas Moos and Ido Omaysi were all shown yellow cards in the match.

Limestone leads the all-time series, 12-4-1. The Bears have dropped seven consecutive battles to Limestone; its the longest losing streak in the series history. This match marked the first all-time meeting between the two programs in the SAC Tournament.

LR’s eight-match undefeated streak has been snapped. The last loss the Bears were handed prior to the semifinal match was a 2-0 defeat to Wingate on Sept. 30. It is the first time the Bears have lost in the SAC Men’s Soccer Tournament since a 2-1 quarterfinal defeat to Mars Hill on Nov. 6, 2021, in Hickory, N.C.

The Bears are 7-5-5 overall on the season. The Lenoir-Rhyne Men’s Soccer Team will wait for the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Selection Show, which is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. The field will be announced via livestream on ncaa.com.