Wheaton, Illinois - The second-ranked Trinity Tigers men were eliminated by a score of 2-1 by the host No. 8 Wheaton College Thunder Saturday in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship.

Trinity completed the campaign with a 24-2-0 record. The Tigers beat seventh-ranked Loras College 2-1 in Friday's third round, which avenged a quarterfinals loss to the Duhawks in 2013. The win tied a school record for victories, set by the Tigers in 2003, when they captured the NCAA Championship. Trinity finished as national runner-up in 2007.

Tiger senior Johnny Lawson got things going quickly for Trinity, as he scored a solo goal in the third minute of play. Lawson finished the season with a team-leading 18 goals, along with eight assists, for a club best 44 points.

But Wheaton struck back in the 37th minute, as Stephen Golz headed the ball in for the equalizer. Jordan Golz broke the 1-1 deadlock with a goal in the 62nd minute of play, as the Thunder (21-3-0) earned a berth in the NCAA semifinals December 5 at Kansas City, Missouri.

Senior Matt Cardone played the full 90 minutes at goalkeeper for the Tigers, and recorded seven saves. Cardone had a .63 goal-against average this season, allowing 14 goals in 25 games. He also posted 79 saves during the season.

Earlier in the Playoffs, Trinity beat Hardin-Simmons University 2-1, and the host University of Texas-Dallas 1-0 in the first and second rounds at Richardson, Texas.

The Tigers, led by 24th-year Head Coach Paul McGinlay, competed in their 13th straight NCAA event, and 18th overall.