The No. 6 nationally ranked Trinity Men's Soccer team (7-1-0) hits the road Friday to open SAA conference play at Oglethorpe University (4-4-1) in Atlanta, GA. They'll then make the short trip to Mount Berry, GA, for a Sunday matchup against Berry College (5-2-3).
 
The Tiger Men's Soccer Team overcame an early deficit to defeat UC Santa Cruz 2-1 on Friday night at Paul McGinlay Field. The Slugs struck in the 4th minute, but Trinity drew level just before halftime when sophomore Alex Baltov (Shreveport, Louisiana / Caddo Parish Magnet) curled in a brilliant free kick. The Tigers dominated the second half, outshooting UCSC 12-0, with senior captain Adam Knutson (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) delivering the winner in the 76th minute. Trinity's defense held firm the rest of the way as the Tigers improved to 7-1-0 on the season.
 
SAA Offensive Player of the Week - Adam Knutson
 
From the SAA press release:
 
Knutson led the fifth-ranked Tiger men's soccer team to a 2-1 win over UC-Santa Cruz on Friday, which was the only game of the week for Trinity. Knutson blasted the game-winning goal in the 76th minute to complete the comeback after the Banana Slugs scored in the fifth minute to take a surprise lead against the Tigers. Trinity equalized in the final minute of the first half, then Knutson sprung free for the eventual game-winner to keep Trinity unbeaten at home so far this season. Knutson leads the team with six total goals in eight games, which includes five game-winning goals.
 
Preview
 
The No. 6 Trinity Tigers begin their two-match trip to Georgia on Friday, October 3, with a 7:00 p.m. (ET) matchup against the Oglethorpe University Petrels. They'll then be back in action less than 48 hours later, taking on the Berry College Vikings in a Sunday morning showdown on October 5 at 11:00 a.m. (ET).
 
On the Oglethorpe University Petrels: The Petrels are a familiar opponent for Trinity, with the programs meeting 19 times in their history. The Tigers hold an 18-1 advantage in the all-time series, with Oglethorpe's lone win coming in the very first matchup back in 1992. The last time these two sides faced was back in 2010 and resulted in a 1-0 win for the Tigers.
 
Oglethorpe University enters this season as the reigning SAA tournament champion, having edged Rhodes College 1-0 in last year's final to earn a spot in the national tournament, where they fell in the opening round to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The Petrels finished 2024 with a strong 9-3-6 record, capturing back-to-back SAA tournament titles. Since then, however, they've lost several key contributors, including a Fourth Team All-American and both All-Region selections, one of whom was last year's SAA Offensive Player of the Year. As a result, this year's squad is younger, but eager to prove itself.
 
This fall has seen an up-and-down start for the Petrels. After earning a strong opening weekend result with a 1-1 draw against No. 4 nationally ranked Washington & Lee, they've settled into a 4-4-1 record. Their most recent outing was a 2-1 loss to Covenant College (Ga.), following a narrow 1-0 defeat to No. 10 Babson College, a team that eliminated the Tigers in last year's NCAA Sweet 16. 
 
Players to watch out for: Key contributors for the Petrels include senior forward Owen VanMarter, a week two SAA offensive player of the week awardee, who has bagged four goals and six assists already this season, a freshman forward Nick Krull who has contributed with three goals off the bench this fall, and then a freshman midfielder Angelo Nkosi who has started nine games and has provided a goal and three assists so far.
 
On the Berry College Vikings: Prior to last season, the Vikings had never faced the Tigers in program history. Their first meeting came in 2024, when Trinity rolled to a 6-0 victory at Paul McGinlay Field. After a scoreless first half, the Tigers erupted for six goals in the second, led by the graduated Ty Jarrett (Austin, Texas / Westlake), who opened the scoring in the 49th minute. Fellow graduates Louis Instrall (London, England / Hampton School), Hunter Cain (Katy, Texas / Cinco Ranch), and Mark Donnelly (Belfast, Ireland / St. Malachy's College Belfast) also found the net, along with current captains Knutson and Samuel Theiss (Boerne, Texas / Boerne). The also-graduated Will Powell (Bexley, England / Beth Grammar School) fueled the attack with a career-high three assists, while the retired goalkeeper Omkar Satpathy (Pleasanton, Calif. / Amador Valley) secured his second consecutive shutout.
 
Last season, Berry College finished with a 6-5-6 record and reached the first round of the SAA tournament, where they fell 2-0 to Centre College. Since then, the Vikings have lost one of their two 2024 All-Region selections and two 2024 SAA honorable mention honorees. Despite those departures, they return a majority of their key contributors.
 
This fall, the Vikings got off to a strong start, going undefeated in their first five games with two wins and three draws. However, they've stumbled slightly in their last five outings, losing two matches. Last week, they bounced back with a 3-0 victory over Huntingdon College before narrowly falling 1-0 to Maryville College. Before facing the Tigers on Sunday, Berry will host Southwestern University on Friday night to open SAA conference play.
 
Players to watch out for: Key contributors for the Vikings include sophomore standout Jack Raulston, who has scored seven goals in ten games this season, graduate student forward Alex Guzman who has added three goals, and freshman forward Timothy Ratokhin who has contributed a goal and two assists so far.
 
Looking Ahead
 
The Tigers return home to play against Centre on October 11th.