KINGSPORT -- Sullivan South put an end to what has been a tough season for Greeneville soccer on Tuesday night, beating the Devils for the third time this year, this time 4-0 in the Region 1-AAA semifinals.

The match was a small glimpse of the season as a whole for Greeneville where goals have been too few and upper classmen getting sent off have been too many, resulting in a 6-13-2 campaign for the Devils.

"At this point, you keep hoping and pushing and thinking that the guys are going to step up and listen to what the coaches have been saying all year long about how they need to play together," said Greeneville coach John Eiskamp. "That's what we talked about before the game; play together as a team and execute. We just couldn't seem to find those combinations, meaning the entire team working to win a game."

Greeneville knew winning Tuesday night's game was going to be tough. Sullivan South had already beaten the Devils twice, handily on both occasions. Now, in three meetings, the Rebels have outscored Greeneville a combined total of 12-2.

Still, Greeneville was very much in the game until about the final 20 minutes.

The Rebels scored in just the fourth minute when with the ball bouncing through the penalty box, C.J. Hyder was left unmarked in front of goal and tapped it across the line.

J.G. Moneymaker just missed an equalizer three minutes later when his direct kick from a tough angle on the right side skimmed narrowly wide at the back post.

The Devils came close again in the 17th minute with a buildup from Chad Castainca to Moneymaker to Harrison Berry that was worthy of a goal, but the finishing touch wasn't there.

South doubled its lead in the 23rd minute when Josh Wood carved his way through Greeneville's back line on a solo run before slamming the ball into the back of the net.

Castainca came close for Greeneville again just before the break, testing Rebel goalkeeper Aaron Pinto on a direct kick.

Greeneville goalkeeper Charlie Arrington was under heavy fire at the start of the second half and kept the Devils in it.

The Devils had a great chance to turn the tide of the game in the 60th minute when Chris Epley had what looked like a sure goal robbed by Pinto. Two minutes later, Moneymaker thought he had cut South's advantage in half, but the goal was ruled offsides.

A quick restart by the Rebels caught Greeneville off guard, and what moments before seemed like a 2-1 game was instead a 3-0 lead for Sullivan South following Wood's second goal.

Eiskamp said that made all the difference.

"At halftime, we talked about having 40 minutes to go and only being down 2-0," Eiskamp said. "We told them to get a quick goal, get us back in it, change the momentum. Instead, they get that third goal, and after that is was just like pulling teeth."

Still, Greeneville kept attacking. Castainca was denied again by Pinto in the 71st minute, slashing his way into the box and shooting low only for the keeper to make a diving save and palm the ball out for a corner.

As if there was any doubt, Sullivan South made the outcome official in stoppage time when Adam Griffith converted a penalty kick for the Rebels' fourth goal of the night to assure the end to Greeneville's season.

Greeneville loses nearly 10 seniors off this year's team, but returns a solid group of young talent. Eiskamp thinks they could do good things in the years to come.

"I think the future will be bright ... I think the kids, if they work during the off season, will be better," he said. "We have to create more soccer players for us. We can't just create better athletes. They need to be better soccer players, and that takes work. I hate to lose all the seniors. If they left it out on the field today, so be it. I don't know whether they did or not."

In Tuesday's other semifinal, after the match ended tied 1-1, Science Hill beat Morristown West in a shootout. The Hilltoppers and Rebels will play Thursday for the Region 1-AAA championship