SAN ANTONIO – The No. 5 nationally ranked Trinity University Men's Soccer team (15-1-0, 7-0-0) captured the Southern Athletic Association regular-season championship with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Southwestern University (14-1-3, 6-1-0) on Saturday night at Paul McGinlay Field.

The stakes could not have been higher. The Tigers needed all three points to leapfrog the Pirates for the top spot in the SAA, while Southwestern only needed a draw to clinch the title on goal difference.
Southwestern struck first in the 31st minute when Daniel Sartorio tucked home a close-range finish against the run of play, momentarily silencing the home crowd. But the Tigers, backed by a raucous McGinlay Field atmosphere, roared back before halftime. In the 43rd minute Max Salinas (Austin, Texas / Austin) latched onto a ball in behind from Jason Sukow (Jacksonville Beach, Florida / Reagan), who beat his defender and squared the ball across the box into the path of the onrushing Finnegan Saunders (Albuquerque, New Mexico / Sandia Prep) who slotted the ball first time through the goalkeeper's legs to score his first collegiate goal. 

After the break, Trinity took command, pinning the Pirates deep and pouring on the pressure. Their persistence paid off in the 65th minute when Adam Knutson (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) was brought down in the penalty area after a weaving run through the box. Up stepped the designated penalty taker Samuel Theiss (Boerne, Texas / Boerne) who calmly converted from the penalty spot to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish.

Goalkeeper Jayden Schell (Dallas, Texas / Plano) delivered a stellar performance between the posts, producing seven saves, several in the dying minutes, to preserve the victory. 
With the win, Trinity caps off an unbeaten SAA campaign and clinches the regular-season crown outright, securing the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament and momentum heading into postseason play.

Up Next
The No. 5 nationally ranked Trinity Men's soccer team have booked themselves the No. 1 seed heading into next week's SAA conference tournament at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. The Tigers will face off against the winner of the quarterfinals between Berry College and Oglethorpe University on Friday, November 7th at 3:00 p.m.