SAN ANTONIO - The No. 2 nationally ranked Tigers battled to a 1-1 draw in a double-over match where both defenses showcased just how good they are. Despite outshooting the University of St. Thomas (Tex.) Celts 23-19, Trinity suffered its first blemish of the season. The Tigers are now (13-0-1, 5-0-1 SCAC) while the Celts leave with a record of (7-2-4, 3-0-3 SCAC). 

The last time these two teams faced off, Trinity won by a score of 3-2 on a golden goal from Jacob Galan (San Antonio, Texas / Reagan) in the second overtime. The first match played between these two was played on October 3, in Houston but did not count as a conference match. 

St. Thomas controlled the pitch for about the first 15 minutes of the match before the Trinity offense finally settled in and started to string together good scoring chances. During the first half, only took seven shots compared to the 10 that UST took. Both teams managed to put three shots on frame but nothing came of those opportunities. 

The Celts came out of the half firing but senior Juan Carlos Vidales (Laredo, Texas / IMG Academy) made a big save just three minutes into the new period. Fraser Burns (Dalry, Scotland / Garnock) and Connor Jones  (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) both put a shot on target which was saved by the St. Thomas keeper. After a few shots and deflections, Joseph Kuri (San Antonio, Texas / TMI Episcopal) found himself in the right in the mix as he gathered a deflection with one touch and kicked it into the back of the net to give Trinity a 1-0 lead in the 71st minute of the match. With Trinity putting so much pressure on, the Celts found themselves with six yellow cards as they tried to find a way to contain the Tigers high-octane offense. After a handball was called on the Tigers in the box, a St. Thomas player lined up to take a penalty kick for the equalizing goal. Luis Bencomo of the Celts knocked the penalty kick in to make the score 1-1 in the 75th minute. Both teams had great scoring opportunities to close out the second half but both goalies brought their best as they defended the net on beautifully placed shots. The Celts had to go down to just 10 men for the remainder of the match after one player recieved a red card in the 83rd minute of the match. 

Both teams tried to get something going in overtime but neither side had any luck. Trinity took two shots on goal in the first OT while St. Thomas only took one. During the second overtime, the Celts and Tigers defense held each other to zero shots on frame. 

Vidales recorded five saves while in goal for the Tigers in their double overtime draw. Rodrigo Lazo of St. Thomas recorded nine saves on the night for the Celts. 

Up Next

Trinity will play their final regular season match of the fall on Sunday, October 24 at 1:00 p.m. against Schreiner University for a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference match-up.