The No. 5 nationally ranked Trinity men's soccer team (15-1-0) will head to Southwestern University for the SAA Tournament from Thursday, November 6, through Sunday, November 9. After winning the regular season, the Tigers have the No. 1 seed heading into the tournament and automatically get a bye to the semi-finals, where they will face the winner of the tie between the No. 4 seed Oglethorpe University and the No. 5 seed Berry College on Friday, November 7th. In the outcome of a win for the Tigers, they will face one of the No. 2 seed Southwestern University, the No. 3 seed Sewanee University or the No. 6 seed Centre College in the final on Sunday, November 9th.
On Saturday night, the No. 5 nationally ranked Trinity Tigers capped off their regular season with a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Southwestern University at
Paul McGinlay Field to clinch the SAA regular-season championship. With the title on the line, the Tigers needed all three points, while Southwestern only required a draw. Despite Trinity's early dominance, the visitors struck first in the 31st minute to take a 1-0 lead. Unfazed, the Tigers responded just before halftime when
Finnegan Saunders (Albuquerque, N.M. / Sandia Prep) finished off a slick move down the right involving
Jason Sukow (Jacksonville Beach, Fla. / Reagan) and
Max Salinas (Austin, Texas / Austin) to level the match. Trinity carried their momentum into the second half, relentlessly pressing the Pirates back. The breakthrough came in the 65th minute when
Adam Knutson (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) was brought down in the box, allowing
Samuel Theiss (Boerne, Texas / Boerne) to calmly slot home the penalty for a 2-1 lead. Goalkeeper
Jayden Schell (Dallas, Texas / Plano) stood tall with seven crucial saves, including several late stops, to preserve the win. The result completed an unbeaten conference campaign and secured the Tigers the No. 1 seed heading into postseason play.
SAA Offensive Player of the Week - Finnegan Saunders
From the SAA press release:
Saunders led fifth-ranked Trinity men's soccer to a 2-1 win over Southwestern University (TX) on Saturday night, clinching the Southern Athletic Association Regular Season Championship and the top seed at this weekend's SAA Tournament. Saunders came on as a sub late in the first half with the Tigers trailing 1-0, providing an immediate lift by blasting in a game-tying goal in the 44th minute to change the momentum of the game. The goal for Saunders was the first in his career.
SAA Defensive Player of the Week - Jayden Schell
From the SAA press release:
Schell led the fifth-ranked Trinity men's soccer team to a 2-1 win over Southwestern University (TX) on Saturday night, clinching the Southern Athletic Association Regular Season Championship and the top seed at this weekend's SAA Tournament. Schell tied his career-high with seven saves in the game, which included two stops in the final two minutes to preserve the win.
SAA Semi-final preview
The No. 5 Trinity Tigers kickoff their tournament weekend on Friday, November 7th, at 3:00 p.m. against the winner of the tie between Oglethorpe University and Berry College.
On the No. 4 seed Oglethorpe University Petrels: The Petrels are a familiar opponent for Trinity, with the programs meeting 20 times in their history. The Tigers hold an 19-1 advantage in the all-time series, with Oglethorpe's lone win coming in the very first matchup back in 1992.
Earlier this season the Tigers opened their SAA campaign on the road at Oglethorpe, where they battled to a hard-fought 2-1 victory to start conference play on a high note. Trinity dominated from the outset, controlling possession and creating numerous chances, but despite nine first-half shots, they couldn't find a breakthrough before halftime. Just minutes into the second half, Knutson earned a penalty that Theiss eventually converted on the rebound after his initial effort was saved, putting the Tigers ahead 1-0. Oglethorpe equalized late in the 81st minute against the run of play, but Trinity refused to let the match slip away. With time running out,
Julian Lopez (Austin, Texas / St. Stephen's Episcopal) delivered the decisive moment in the 87th minute, curling a free kick into the box that found its way into the net for the winner. The Tigers outshot Oglethorpe 17-7 and racked up 17 corners, proving their dominance as they opened SAA play with a deserved and dramatic win.
After losing to the Tigers in the opening SAA game of the season the Petrels have had an up and down rest of their campaign, going 2-4-1 in conference play, losing to Southwestern, Sewanee and Centre on top of the Tigers. Their two victories came in the form of a 2-1 win over Rhodes and a 3-1 win over Millsaps.
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 this season but is unlikely to feature due to being absent from all games since mid september, a freshman forward Nick Krull who has contributed with three goals off the bench this fall, and then a sophomore midfielder Ethan Martinez Nkosi who has started twelve games and has provided a goal and four assists so far.
On the No. 5 seed 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. These two sides faced earlier in the season with the Tigers coming out on top in a 4-1 victory away at Berry College.
Earlier this season the Tigers capped off their SAA opening weekend in style with a commanding 4-1 road win over Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia. From the opening whistle, the Tigers dictated play and found their breakthrough in the 16th minute when Salinas set up captain Theiss for a curling strike into the top corner. Trinity doubled its lead before halftime as
Aiden Perales (Corpus Christi, Texas / Veterans Memorial) flicked a long ball into the path of
Joey Perryman (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound), who fired home a clinical half-volley. After the break, the Tigers kept their foot on the gas. In the 60th minute, Knutson drew a penalty that Theiss calmly converted for his second goal of the match. Nine minutes later,
Thomas Kay (Stansted Mountfitchet, England / Bishop's Stortford) added a fourth from the spot after being brought down in the box. Berry managed a late penalty of their own in the 88th minute, but the result was long settled. Trinity outshot Berry 15-7 and controlled the match from start to finish.
After losing both of their opening weekend conference games, they've had a solid rest of their SAA campaign, collating an overall 3-3-1 record. They won three on the bounce over Millsaps, Rhodes, and Centre before slipping up a little in the last couple weeks, losing to Sewanee but then tying Oglethorpe on the final day to clinch a spot in the SAA tournament.
Players to watch out for: Key contributors for the Vikings include 2025 All-SAA First Team standout Jack Raulston, who has scored ten goals this season, 2025 All-SAA honorable mention Max Albertson who has added five goals and three assists, and graduate student forward Alex Guzman who has contributed four goals and an assist so far.
Potential SAA tournament final opponents
If all goes well and the Tigers win their semi-final matchup. They will face one of Southwestern University, Sewanee University or Centre College in the final on Sunday, November 9th at 12:00 p.m.
On the No. 2 seed Southwestern University Pirates: The Southwestern University Pirates are a familiar opponent for Trinity, with the two programs meeting 50 times in their history. Historically, it's been a one-sided rivalry, with Trinity claiming 43 victories and suffering just one defeat. The Tigers enter this matchup unbeaten in their last ten games, boasting an 9-0-1 record. The first meeting between the two sides came in 1993, a dominant 10-0 victory for Trinity. These two sides faced just this last weekend, with the Tigers coming out on top in a 2-1 victory that clinched the SAA regular season title for Trinity.
Aside from their loss on the final day, the Pirates have had an excellent SAA campaign, boasting a 6-1 record heading into tournament play. They scored 22 goals while only conceding five in a campaign that saw them record five shutouts in conference play. As of now they look like likely SAA tournament finalists, having defeated potential semi-final opponents Sewanee University 5-0 and Centre College 2-0 already this season.
On the No. 3 seed Sewanee University Tigers: The Tigers historically have been a familiar foe for Trinity, with the two programs meeting 23 times in their history. However, in the past, there has only ever been one team on top, with Trinity winning on all previous 23 occasions. The first time these two sides faced was back in 1991, and resulted in a 4-0 victory. These two sides faced earlier this season, with Trinity winning 2-1 in dramatic fashion at Sewanee University.
Aside from the loss to Trinity the Tigers have held a solid SAA conference record, ending the regular season at 3-2-2. Their lone other loss came at the hands of Southwestern University, however they picked up wins over Millsaps, Oglethorpe and Berry on the way to securing the No. 3 seed for the tournament. Significantly for them, their semi-final matchup will be a repeat of their 0-0 draw to Centre College on the final day of the regular season last weekend.
On the No. 6 seed Centre College Colonels: Centre College is a familiar foe for the Tigers, with the two programs meeting 23 times in their storied history. Trinity holds a 16-5 edge in the all-time series, with the first tie resulting in a 3-2 victory for the Colonels back in 1991. These two sides faced earlier this season, with the Tigers comfortably winning 5-0 on home turf.
The colonels are very much the underdogs heading into this SAA tournament. They collated a 1-4-2 conference record, only securing a spot in the tournament through the final day 0-0 draw to Sewanee University. Their lone conference victory came in the form of a 4-1 thrashing of Oglethorpe University on the second last game of the season.
Looking Ahead
Should the No. 5 Trinity Tigers win the SAA Conference Tournament, they will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and would await the outcome of the NCAA DIII selection show on Monday, November 10th.
