SAN ANTONIO – The No. 5 nationally ranked Trinity men's soccer team (14-1-0) will look to extend its unbeaten run to nine games and clinch the regular-season title at home in its final SAA matchup of the season, facing the No. 14 Southwestern University Pirates for the 50th time in program history.
Over the past week, the No. 5 Trinity Tigers have extended their unbeaten run with three commanding performances at
Paul McGinlay Field. Across the three-match stretch, the Tigers outscored opponents 7-2, showcased their trademark defensive discipline, and extended their unbeaten streak to eight matches heading into the final weekend of regular-season play.
Last Friday, Trinity battled through adversity to edge Rhodes 1-0 despite playing over an hour with ten men. Defender
Alex Baltov (Shreveport, La. / Caddo Parish Magnet) provided the difference with a superb 19th-minute strike, while the backline, anchored by
Luke Mayfield (Dallas, Texas / J.J. Pearce), stood tall to preserve the clean sheet.
Two days later, the Tigers carried that momentum into a 3-1 win over Millsaps, dominating possession and outshooting the Majors 19-6.
Adam Knutson (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) opened the scoring from the spot before goals from
Joey Perryman (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound) and captain
Samuel Theiss (Boerne, Texas / Boerne) sealed another statement victory.
Wednesday night, Trinity capped the homestand with a 3-1 triumph over No. 39 NPI-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Zachary Anderson (Davis, Calif. / Davis) broke the deadlock with a stunning volley in the 75th minute, before
Alex Ramirez (Houston, Texas / Humble) and
Julian Lopez (Austin, Texas / St. Stephen's Episcopal) each converted from the penalty spot to put the result beyond doubt.
Preview
The No. 5 Trinity Tigers look to cap off this stretch of four games in eight days, as they match up against fellow SAA foe the No. 14 Southwestern University Pirates on Saturday, November 1st, at 7:30 p.m.
On the Southwestern University Pirates: The Southwestern University Pirates are a familiar opponent for Trinity, with the two programs meeting 49 times in their history. Historically, it's been a one-sided rivalry, with Trinity claiming 42 victories and suffering just one defeat. The Tigers enter this matchup unbeaten in their last ten games, boasting an 8-0-2 record. The first meeting between the two sides came in 1993, a dominant 10-0 victory for Trinity.
The last time these sides faced was back in the 2024 SCAC tournament semifinal in Houston, which saw the Tigers grind out a hard-fought 1-0 win over the Pirates to advance to the conference final. After a back-and-forth first half, Trinity finally broke through in the 42nd minute when Knutson's shot was parried into the path of Theiss, who buried the rebound for his fifth goal of the season. The Tigers controlled play after the break, with graduate captain
JonConnor Rule (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson) anchoring a defense that didn't allow a single shot on target. Behind a composed team performance and the retired
Omkar Satpathy's (Pleasanton, Calif. / Amador Valley) ninth shutout, Trinity punched its ticket to another SCAC title match.
Last season, the Southwestern Pirates posted an 11-3-4 record and made a strong run in the SCAC Conference Tournament, ultimately falling 1-0 to eventual champions, the Trinity Tigers. Since then, the Pirates have lost several key contributors, including their 2024 first-team All-SCAC captain and leading scorer, along with two All-SCAC honorable mentions. Despite those departures, the squad remains in a strong position, having retained several other 2024 All-SCAC awardees.
This fall has been an outstanding campaign for Southwestern, as the Pirates remain undefeated with a 14-0-3 overall record. They sit joint top of the SAA standings alongside Trinity, both holding perfect 6-0-0 conference marks. Notable results for the Pirates include a 2-1 opening-weekend victory over then No. 17 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and a dominant 5-0 home win against a strong Sewanee side. For comparison, the Tigers recorded similar results, defeating Claremont 2-1 and earning a 2-1 road victory at Sewanee. More recently, while Southwestern was held to a 2-2 home draw against Mary Hardin-Baylor, Trinity dispatched the Crusaders 3-1 in a match that could easily have produced a wider margin.
Southwestern boasts several key contributors who have made their mark this season. Up front, senior Greyson Pinto has been a consistent threat, recording seven goals and eight assists. He earned an SAA Offensive Player of the Week honor earlier this fall, building on a 2024 campaign that saw him receive All-SCAC Honorable Mention recognition. He's joined by freshman Grey Richards, who has been an effective impact player off the bench, tallying five goals in 17 appearances.
In midfield, sophomore Quinn MacLeod has contributed five goals and two assists, while fellow sophomore Danny Wasserman has added four goals and three assists, providing steady creativity and production from the center of the park.
Anchoring the back line is senior Raghav Sharma, a 2024 All-SCAC First Team selection who's also chipped in offensively with eight goals and two assists. Sharma has twice earned SAA Defensive Player of the Week honors this fall. Alongside him, fellow defender Cooper Pero, a 2024 All-SCAC Honorable Mention, has added six goals and three assists, along with two SAA Defensive Player of the Week awards, showcasing Southwestern's remarkable ability to generate offense from its back line.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers have already clinched a spot in the SAA Tournament and will await their opponent following the conclusion of the final weekend of regular-season play. The tournament will be hosted by Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, and is scheduled for Thursday, November 6, through Sunday, November 9.
