FLORENCE, S.C. — Conference Carolinas Offensive Player of the Year Rilee Seering scored the game’s only goal with just more than three minutes left before the halftime break, and the second-seeded UNC Pembroke soccer team rode an unforgiving defensive effort to a 1-0 triumph over third-seeded North Greenville in the semifinal round of the league tournament on Friday evening in Florence, S.C.

The victory propels the Braves (14-4-0) into Sunday’s tournament championship game where they will get a rematch with top-seeded and regular season champion Mount Olive (15-0-2). The Trojans pulled off a 2-1 win over the Black & Gold on October 27 In Pembroke.

Zion Sellers collected a ball near midfield and found a streaking Rilee Seering down the middle of the pitch. Seering beat the goalkeeper on the race to the ball and chipped a shot into the top right corner in the 42nd minute.

Seering logged a game-high 10 shots (6 on goal) and punched in her league-leading 13th goal of the 2021 campaign for the game’s only offense.

Freshman Chiara Coppin tallied three saves on the way to registering her eighth shutout of the season.

Sellers tacked up her first career assist; she came into the game with 12 career points on six goals.

UNCP amassed 24 shots (15 on goal) in Friday’s outing — the 14th time this season that the Braves have finished an outing with 20 or more shots.

The Braves improved to 12-19-0 all-time in conference tournament play. Friday’s game marked the debut for the Black & Gold in the Conference Carolinas Tournament.

It is the third conference tournament championship appearance in the 21-year history of the UNCP soccer program. The Braves upended Columbus State, 1-0, in their last league championship appearance in 2017 (Peach Belt Conference Tournament) at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Ga.

UNCP will battle top-seeded and regular season champion Mount Olive (15-0-2) in Sunday’s tournament championship game at the Florence Soccer Complex. Kickoff has been scheduled for 4 p.m. Tickets are available at ConferenceCarolinas.com/Tickets.