SAN ANTONIO - The 13th-ranked Trinity men's soccer team opened up the NCAA Playoffs with a 3-0 shutout victory over Belhaven University (MS) in the first round of action on Friday evening.
The Tigers (18-0-3) faced off against Belhaven for the first time in program history, scoring three goals without response to advance to the second round. After winning the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship last weekend, Trinity is now 3-0 in postseason play as they look to improve on their second round exit last season.
The Rundown
The Blazers started on the front foot, clearly motivated for their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Their momentum quickly diminished after two rash tackles and subsequent yellow cards for a Belhaven defender meant that they were down to ten men after just 10 minutes. Trinity then began to dominate possession and get things going offensively, forcing the Blazer goalkeeper into some impressive saves.
The deadlock was broken in the 35th minute as
Adam Knutson (Dripping Springs, TX / Dripping Springs) found himself in a familiar possession, cutting in from the left hand side and bearing down on goal. Knutson took it past a Belhaven defender before unleashing his shot from 25 yards out, which was deflected beyond the keeper to give Trinity the 1-0 lead.
It took the Tigers a while to find their feet in the second half, with the Blazers working fiercely despite being a man down. The Trinity offensive did turn out to be too much to handle as
Joey Perryman (Flower Mound, TX / Flower Mound) slipped in
Sam Theiss (Boerne, TX / Boerne) in the 74th minute, who slid the ball underneath the oncoming goalkeeper to double his team's lead. Less than three minutes later, Perryman made it 3-0 to the Tigers after converting from a
Cameron Smith (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands Cayman Prep) cross to secure the win and a place in the second round.
Up Next
The Tigers will now play on Saturday November 16th at home against Bowdoin College (ME) at 7:00 p.m. with a place in the Sweet 16 on the line.
