SAN ANTONIO – The Trinity men's soccer team remained undefeated with Friday night's 4-1 victory over the University of Texas-Dallas.
The Tigers improve to 3-0-0 this season with tonight's win, which avenges last season's loss to the Comets (0-2-1). Prior to that defeat, Trinity had won eight consecutive meetings in the series – including NCAA III Playoff victories in 2014, 2015, and 2019.
Trinity scored three of its four goals in the first period to take a 3-0 halftime lead. UT-Dallas was held scoreless until the 84th minute, though the game was out of reach by that time.
Adam Knutson (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) scored two of Trinity's four goals, which included the eventual game-winner in the 12th minute of action.
Jesus Veloz (Dallas, Texas / Lone Star) and
Chen Adjei (Eueless, Texas / Trinity) had two assists each. Veloz assisted on both of the Knutson goals, while Veloz and Adjei both combined for the assists on the game-winner. Adjei also assisted on the only Tiger score of the second period.
The initial scoring play began in the eighth minute as Adjei received a pass in the middle of the field and spun forward into the attack. He found Veloz down the right side of the field, who crossed the ball back across the goal. UTD was able to get a touch but couldn't clear the ball completely, leaving Knutson to pick it up for the score just 8:02 into the game.
Just over three minutes later, the same Tiger trio got things going once again. Trinity tried to find Adjei heading towards the box, but the UTD defense stepped in front and cleared the ball back to the middle of the field. Knutson found it there and left it for
Louie Instrall (London, England / Hampton School). Instrall went back to Adjei at the edge of the box on the right side. Adjei then put the ball in front of the goal for Veloz, who quickly spun and left it for Knutson to put Trinity up 2-0.
Adjei was also involved in the third goal, which was scored by
Zach Anderson (Davis, Calif. / Davis). UT-Dallas tried to clear the ball, but an errant pass went back into the box. Adjei stole it and turned to face the goalkeeper one-on-one, but dropped it off to Anderson, but his initial shot was blocked. As the Comet defenders tried to settle the ball and clear it, Anderson circled around one defender, then poked the ball into the net in front of another defender to make it a 3-0 game for the Tigers.
Trinity out-shot UT-Dallas 13-1 in the first half and had the large lead to show for it. After halftime, UT-Dallas was able to get more offense going, but still managed just five more shots in the final 45 minutes. In the 67th minute, the Comets interrupted an attack by the Tigers and cleared the ball back to midfield. Defender
Luke Mayfield (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) was there to stop the attack before it got started, and rocketed the ball back to Adjei. Fighting off a defender, Adjei was able to redirect the ball forward to
Michael Meese (Williamsburg, Va. / Jamestown). With UT-Dallas making a case for an offsides call, Meese was able to beat his defender to the ball, then beat the keeper from about 10 yards out for the final Trinity goal of the night.
UT-Dallas scored on its second corner of the night after several touches in and around the six-yard box. The Comets headed the ball towards goal, and even though the Tiger defense held up initially, UT-Dallas was able to knock in the rebound score to keep Trinity from a clean sheet.
Up Next
Trinity will be back in action on Sunday afternoon, hosting Whitman University (WA) at 1:00 p.m. The Tigers won the only meeting between the two teams (since 1991), taking a 3-0 victory in the first round of the 2016 NCAA III Playoffs.
