HOUSTON – The Trinity University women's soccer team scored a late goal to win the 2023 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship by a 1-0 margin over Southwestern University on Sunday afternoon.
Clara Richards (Buffalo, N.Y. / Williamsville South) slotted in the game-winner with under five minutes to play in the game, vaulting Trinity to its fourth straight conference title and its 27th SCAC Championship overall.
The win is the 10th straight this season for the Tigers, who improved to 12-4-2 overall. Trinity has not allowed a goal in 15 consecutive SCAC Tournament games, including this weekend's 2-0 SCAC Semifinal win over the University of Dallas, and today's 1-0 championship match.
Ilsa Newland (St. Louis, Mo. / Kirkwood) was named the SCAC Tournament Defensive Most Valuable Player, while
Emma Everts (Ft. Worth, Texas / Ponderosa) earned the Tournament's Offensive MVP award.
Trinity held a 20-7 overall advantage in shots during the game, holding the Pirates to just two first-half attempts. Tiger goalkeeper
Lauryn Lewis (Carrollton, Texas / Creekview) recorded four saves to pick up her seventh clean sheet of the season. Trinity now has 10 shutouts as a team this season, with nine of those coming during the current 10-game win streak.
The Rundown
Both teams had chances in the opening minutes of the first half, but neither broke through. The Tigers controlled most of the possession, though Southwestern did have periods of ball control pushing forward for the initial goal. Ultimately, the Tiger defense held up for the most part to allow just the two shots. Lewis saved the first in the 18th minute and the second was comfortably over the bar.
For the most part, Trinity was able to play in control of the game and the Pirates relied mostly on counterattack opportunities. Despite controlling things most of the way, the Tigers were not able to get the final result and relieve the pressure that came with the game's magnitude.
After halftime, Trinity had several opportunities on offense with five shots and three corner kicks in the first 12-plus minutes of the second period. Southwestern was still looking to counter, using defensive stops to spark offensive chances. Lewis made all three of her second-half saves in the first 20 minutes of the period.
Michaela Bosco (Weatherford, Texas / Weatherford) came out of the game for about five minutes late in the second half, and upon her return, the Tigers looked to get her involved for a scoring chance. Trinity pushed forward to Bosco down the right side when Southwestern pushed the ball out for a throw-in deep in its own half as the clock ticked under five minutes to play.
Kyra Stafford (Albuquerque, N.M. / Hope Christian) threw the ball in past Bosco and to the corner of the box, where
Madisyn Barganski (Corpus Christi, Texas / Flour Bluff) flicked it on towards the front of goal for Richards. Though her initial shot was blocked by one of three Pirates defenders around her, Richards pushed the rebound into open space and went around the defense. She then ripped her shot into the back of the net with just 4:30 remaining.
Southwestern had one final shot in the 88th minute on a free kick from outside the box, but the shot was wide of the mark and the Tigers held on for the win.
Up Next
Trinity will advance to the NCAA Playoffs with the league's automatic bid. The first and second round of the postseason event begins next weekend. The NCAA Selection Show will be held Monday, November 6, at 12:30 p.m. (CT). The Tigers will find out their opponent and the venue for the weekend at that time.
