San Antonio - The Trinity men's soccer team has been picked to win its eighth consecutive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Championship, based on voting by league coaches.
Led by Head Coach Paul McGinlay, the Tigers captured their 21st overall SCAC title last fall by securing the trophy 4-2 in penalty kicks with Southwestern (TX) University. Regulation play ended in a 1-1 tie.
Trinity advanced to the NCAA Division III Championship for the 17th time in a row and defeated Chapman (CA) University and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (TX) in the opening rounds. The team made its sixth NCAA Round of 16 appearance in seven seasons and was eliminated by the University of Chicago (IL).
The Tigers completed the campaign with a 17-2-3 overall record and an 11-0-1 conference mark. Coach McGinlay and his assistant coaches were elected the NCAA Division III West Region Staff of the Year by United Soccer Coaches.
Coach McGinlay will begin his 29th season at the helm as the 2019 season kicks off. Trinity starts the year as the ninth ranked team in the nation, according to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III Poll.
Juniors Quentin Van Der Lee and Jacob Hallenberger are key returners for the Tigers and both earned spots on the All-SCAC First Team. Van Der Lee was also elected to the United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team. He registered four goals and sent out six assists and was a major force on Trinity's defense which posted 10 shutout games. Hallenberger scored seven goals with three game-winners, while producing 11 assists.
Junior Andrea Codispoti represented Trinity on the All-SCAC Second Team. Codispoti scored eight goals and five assists in his first season as a Tiger player. Additionally, Johnston, Van Der Lee, and Codispoti were tabbed for the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Teams.
Senior Blake Lieberman and Josh Davis, and juniors Wesley Mitchell and Rodrigo Castillo made the All-SCAC Honorable Mention Team.
The Tigers will open the 2019 season on Labor Day Weekend with the University of Texas-Dallas on August 30, followed by Williamette (OR) University on September 1. The first SCAC game is in Irving, Texas, on September 22 at the University of Dallas (TX). The Tigers open their conference home slate September 27 with Texas Lutheran University, and Trinity will host this year's SCAC Championship November 8-10.
