SIGNATURE WIN: The Monarchs finished their non-conference slate in emphatic fashion with an overtime win over Frostburg State to give Methodist a tone-setter right before entering the conference portion of their schedule. On a hot September Sunday, less than a day after a Saturday victory, the Monarchs went into overtime with the Bobcats after a scoreless two halves of action. After 90 minutes of regulation that saw 24 shots, with only four making it on frame, Conor Morris halted the overtime period in less than a minute. In a blitz, a Nick Bryant shot was saved by the Bobcats' goalkeeper, but the rebound landed right at the feet of Morris whose first goal of the season could not have come at a better time and a better moment.

SEASON NOTES: With the 7-9-2 record that the Monarchs finished with, it seemed every game could have gone in either direction. There were nine games decided by only one goal, and two games that ended in a draw after two overtime periods. In three other games, the score was only 1-0 entering the second half … Conor Morris was the team's leader in goals scored with four, and he added four assists, which ranked second on the team. Nick Bryant was right behind him with three goals and five assists … Morris and Bryant were the definitions of clutch as five of their seven combined goals proved to be game-winners … Methodist had a spread-the-wealth type offense as 14 different players knocked in at least one goal for the season … Scott Brecke was a mainstay in goal as he finished the season with five shutouts, 48 saves and 23 goals allowed for a 7-8-2 record between the pipes.

POST-SEASON AWARDS:

• USA South All-Conference Team: Kristoffer Skarstein (third-team)
• USA South All-Sportsmanship Team: Raul Martin
• The North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association's 2018 College Division All-State Team: Tyler Hilbert (second team)

LOOKING AHEAD: The departures of eight seniors, including top scorer Morris and key starters Skarstein and Kyle Madden will be a lot for head coach Justin Terranova to mitigate. However, he should not have to look too far for replacements as his freshman class logged a lot of minutes and appearances during the 2018 season. Terranova boasts five freshman that appeared in at least 14 games, including Ulises Sanchez and Hilbert, who combined for 29 starts last season. Hugo Kamppainnen and Daniel Magen could make the jump from key reserves to starters, while juniors Lawson Lamm and Garrett Shan will return next season as both senior leaders and the key nuclei. Big leaps by this year's crop of freshmen -- including goalkeeper Mohomed Dulleh, who finished the season in frame and earned the team's Man of the Match award after the conference tournament game -- and with all the other returners would be a recipe to improve upon the season record and deeper advancement in the postseason conference tournament.