The No. 5 nationally ranked Trinity Men's Soccer team (17-1-1) punched its ticket to the NCAA Sweet 16 with a 2-0 win over Texas Lutheran University in Sunday's second-round match. The Tigers will now travel to St. Louis, Missouri, to take on the No. 12-ranked hosts, Washington University-St. Louis (14-3-1), on Saturday, November 22. The winner will advance to Sunday's NCAA Elite Eight matchup, where they will face the victor of the Sweet 16 matchup between No. 2 Augsburg University (18-2-2) and No. 9 Cortland College (14-1-5).

Last weekend, the No. 5 Trinity Tigers delivered a commanding opening statement in the NCAA National Tournament, pairing ruthless finishing with composure under pressure to secure back-to-back postseason victories at Paul McGinlay Field.

The Tigers opened their run with a resounding 5-0 win over Hardin-Simmons in Saturday's first round, breaking through late in the first half and never looking back. Freshman Hodge MacDonald (Hertford, England / Haileybury) ignited the scoring just before the interval, and Alex Ramirez (Houston, Texas / Humble) doubled the lead from the spot moments later. After halftime, Trinity's attack overwhelmed the Cowboys. Samuel Theiss (Boerne, Texas / Boerne) calmly buried a second penalty, Luke Mayfield (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) pounced on a loose ball from a corner for the fourth, and Joey Perryman (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound) capped the night with a driven finish to make it five. Behind a 17-6 shot margin and a combined clean sheet from Jayden Schell (Dallas, Texas / Plano) and Brandon Gongora (San Antonio, Texas / Madison), the Tigers marched confidently into round two.

Less than 24 hours later, Trinity carried that momentum straight into a clinical 2-0 victory over local rival Texas Lutheran to punch its ticket to the Sweet 16. Mayfield opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 25th minute, and Theiss delivered the dagger midway through the second half with a composed outside-of-the-boot finish. The Tigers' defensive unit produced one of its most disciplined displays of the season, holding TLU without a shot on target and dictating every phase of play.
With the sweep, Trinity improves to 17-1-1 and advances to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year, this time with the performance and momentum of a team intent on a deep national tournament run.

NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

The No. 5 Trinity Tigers travel to St. Louis, Missouri, for the Sweet 16 match-up against the WashU Bears on Saturday, November 22nd, at 1:30 p.m. 
 
On the Washington University-St. Louis Bears: The Bears are a relatively unfamiliar opponent for Trinity, with the programs meeting just nine times in their history. The Tigers hold a 7-1-1 advantage in the all-time series, with Washington University's lone win coming back in 1997. The first meeting between the two programs was in 1994, ending in a 1-1 draw, while their most recent matchup came in 2014, a 1-0 home win for Trinity. Notably, the last time the Tigers reached the Final Four in 2007, they met the Bears in the Sweet 16.

Last season, the WashU Bears finished with a mediocre 8-5-3 record, going 2-3-2 in conference play and ultimately missing out on an NCAA tournament berth. This year, however, the Bears earned an automatic bid to the national tournament after defeating the University of Chicago 1-0 on the final day of the UAA regular season to claim the conference championship. WashU put together an impressive league campaign, finishing 5-2 in a conference featuring multiple nationally ranked programs. Their two losses were somewhat surprising, coming against unranked New York University and the University of Rochester. What secured the title, though, were marquee wins over then, No. 12 Brandeis University, No. 3 Chicago, and No. 2 Emory University. The teams share only one common opponent this season, Rhodes College. WashU defeated the Lynx 2-1, while Trinity earned a 1-0 victory.

Their path to the Sweet 16 began with a first-round penalty-shootout victory over the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater after a scoreless double-overtime draw. They then faced fellow UAA opponent the University of Chicago in the second round, defeating the Maroons 1-0, a repeat of the result from their regular-season meeting.

Players to watch: Key contributors for the Bears include All-UAA First Team forward and leading scorer Ethan Wirtschafter, who has tallied 14 goals and one assist, UAA Rookie of the Year midfielder Daniel Koshen, who has added seven goals and an assist, All-UAA Second Team midfielder Sebastien Valdes, who has recorded one goal and seven assists, and UAA Defensive Player of the Year Quentin Gomez, who has started every match and contributed five goals.

Potential NCAA Elite Eight opponents

Should the No. 5 Trinity Tigers progress from the NCAA Sweet 16, they will face off against the winner of the Sweet 16 tie between Augsburg University and Cortland College in the NCAA Elite Eight on Sunday, November 23rd, at 6:00 p.m. 

On the Augsburg University Eagles: The Eagles would be a completely unfamiliar opponent for Trinity, as the programs have met only once in their history, an 8-0 home win for the Tigers back in 2001.

Last season, the Augsburg Eagles posted a strong 12-4-5 record but fell in the MIAC Tournament semifinals to St. Olaf College, ultimately missing out on an NCAA Tournament berth. This year, however, the Eagles earned an at-large bid to the national tournament after an impressive regular season in which they went 16-1-2. Despite a 2-1 loss to Saint John's University in the MIAC quarterfinals, their campaign featured notable wins over then, No. 18 Wisconsin-Eau Claire, regionally ranked Gustavus Adolphus College, and a conference draw against No. 4 St. Olaf College.

Their path to the Sweet 16 began with a comfortable 3-1 first-round victory over Occidental College, followed by a narrow 1-0 win against regionally ranked Edgewood College.

Players to watch: Key contributors for the Eagles include All-MIAC forward Carver Tierney, who has recorded an impressive 18 goals and six assists, tying him for eighth in the country in goals, All-MIAC midfielder Mitchel Munzing, who has tallied 11 goals and nine assists, All-MIAC forward Mizael Harris, who has contributed seven goals and two assists in 13 games, and MIAC Defensive Player of the Year Christian Hodges, who is tied for the most shutouts in NCAA Division III this season with 13.

On the Cortland College Red Dragons: The Red Dragons would be a completely unfamiliar opponent for the Tigers, as the two programs have never faced each other in their history.

Last season, the Cortland Red Dragons posted an impressive 15-3-6 record, capturing the SUNYAC Championship Tournament and earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament, where they fell in the first round to Messiah University. This season, the Red Dragons received an at-large bid to the national tournament after a strong regular season, finishing 12-1-4. Despite a 4-3 penalty shootout loss to Oneonta College in the SUNYAC semifinals following a 3-3 draw, their campaign featured a notable win over then-No. 23 Vassar College and a 0-0 draw against No. 21 Ithaca College.

Their path to the Sweet 16 began with a tense 1-0 first-round victory in double overtime against SUNY Delhi, followed by a narrow 2-1 win over Catholic University, who had upset the 2024 national champions, Amherst College, in the opening round.
Players to watch: Key contributors for the Red Dragons include All-SUNYAC First Team forward Josh Carroll, who has tallied 12 goals and three assists, All-SUNYAC First Team midfielder Sam LaMendola, who has notched five goals, and SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Year Jordan Ott, who is tied for the most shutouts in NCAA Division III this season with 13.

Looking Ahead

The No. 5 Trinity Tigers continue in knockout territory, and if they advance to the NCAA Final Four, they will await the results of the other Elite Eight matchups on their side of the bracket. Potential opponents include No. 6 Emory University, No. 13 University of Lynchburg, Dickinson College, and Rowan University.