The No. 5 nationally ranked Trinity Men's Soccer team (19-1-1) punched its ticket to the NCAA Final Four with a 5-0 win over Augsburg University in last weekend's Elite Eight matchup. The Tigers will now travel to Salem, Virginia, to take on the No. 6-ranked Emory University (16-1-4) on Friday, December 5th. The winner will advance to Sunday's National Championship game, where they will face the victor of the semi-final matchup between No. 1 Tufts University (18-1-3) and No. 4 St. Olaf College (20-2-3).
The No. 5 Trinity Tigers delivered one of the most emphatic postseason weekends in program history in St. Louis, earning consecutive shutout wins over No. 12 Wash U and No. 2 Augsburg to advance to the NCAA Final Four for the first time since 2007.
Trinity opened the weekend with a composed 3-0 win against Wash U, absorbing early pressure before taking full control of the match. After a pair of key stops from goalkeeper Jayden Schell (Plano, Texas / Plano), the Tigers broke through in the 31st minute when Alex Ramirez (Houston, Texas / Humble) finished off a driven cross created by Samuel Theiss (Boerne, Texas / Boerne).
The second half was all Trinity. The Tigers held Wash U without a shot on target and doubled the lead in the 65th minute through a low half-volley from Theiss. Trinity's depth closed out the result in the 82nd minute as Jason Sukow (Jacksonville Beach, Florida / Reagan) tapped home after sharp buildup play from Thomas Kay (Stanstead Mountfitchet, England / Bishops Stortford) and Joey Perryman (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound) With another clean sheet and a dominant second half, Trinity marched confidently into the Elite Eight.
Trinity followed that with an even more emphatic performance, dismantling the No. 2 Augsburg 5-0 to secure its Final Four berth. Adam Knutson (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) opened the scoring in the 16th minute by burying a loose ball from a free-kick sequence, and his dangerous cross later forced an Augsburg own goal to give the Tigers a 2-0 halftime lead.
The Tigers never let up. In the 66th minute, Alex Baltov (Shreveport, Louisiana / Caddo Parish Magnet) smashed a long-range strike into the bottom corner to make it 3-0, before Perryman delivered a late brace in the 87th and 90th minutes to cap an electric attacking display. Defensively, Trinity's back line allowed nearly nothing, and Schell and Brandon Gongora (San Antonio, Texas / Madison) combined for the Tigers' second straight postseason shutout.
With eight goals scored and zero conceded on the weekend, Trinity advances to the NCAA Final Four for the first time since 2007, where they will face No. 6 Emory on December 5th with momentum, belief, and one of the nation's stingiest defenses.
NCAA Semi-Final
The No. 5 Trinity Tigers travel to Salem, Virginia to the semi-final match-up against the Emory Eagles on Friday, December 5th, at 6:30 p.m (ET).
On the Emory University Eagles: The Eagles will be a largely unfamiliar opponent for Trinity, as the programs have faced each other only once, 1-1 draw in San Antonio back in 1995.
Last season, the Emory Eagles finished with a modest 8-5-3 record, going 5-1-1 in conference play before falling 3-0 to Lynchburg in the NCAA First Round. This year, however, the Eagles earned an at-large bid after an impressive regular season in which they went 13-1-3 overall and 3-1-3 in a highly competitive UAA that sent three teams to the national tournament. Their only loss came against then No. 3 Washington University-St. Louis, but they picked up notable draws against then No. 12 University of Chicago, Brandeis, and Carnegie Mellon.
Trinity and Emory share several common opponents this season, Berry College, Sewanee, and WashU. Emory defeated Berry 3-1 and Sewanee 5-0 but fell 1-0 to WashU. Trinity also beat Berry 4-0 and Sewanee 2-1, and notably earned a 30 victory over WashU in the NCAA Sweet 16.
Emory's path to the Final Four began with a comfortable 3-1 win over Maryville University in the opening round, followed by a 3-0 victory against Hampden-Sydney in the second round. The Eagles then traveled to Lynchburg, Virginia, where they defeated Rowan University 2-0 in the Sweet 16. They clinched their Final Four berth with a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout win over Dickinson College after the teams played to a scoreless draw in regulation.
Players to watch: Emory features several standout performers, led by 2025 UAA Offensive Player of the Year Lorenzo Avalos, who has recorded eight goals and one assist. First Team All-Region forward Ignacio Cubeddu has been a major attacking threat with twelve goals and six assists, while Second Team All-Region midfielder Josh Grand has added six goals and ten assists from the center of the park. Defensively, 2025 First Team All-Region selection Logan Steren has anchored the back line, starting all 21 matches and contributing six goals and two assists.
Potential NCAA National Championship Game Opponents
Should the No. 5 Trinity Tigers progress from the NCAA Semi-finals, they will face off against the winner of the semi-final tie between No. 1 Tufts University and No. 4 St. Olaf College in the NCAA National Championship game for the first time since 2007 on Sunday, December 7th, at 12:00 p.m (ET).
On the Tufts University Jumbos: The Jumbos would be a completely unfamiliar opponent for Trinity, as the two programs have never faced each other in their history.
Last season, the Tufts Jumbos finished with an impressive 12-0-6 record but were eliminated in the NESCAC Tournament quarterfinals by Bowdoin College. They still received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they were knocked out in the Second Round by Buffalo State University on penalties. This year, however, the Jumbos earned an automatic bid after defeating No. 7 Connecticut College 1-0 in the NESCAC Tournament final. Tufts put together a strong conference campaign, finishing 6-1-3 in a league featuring multiple nationally ranked programs. Their only loss came on the opening weekend against then No. 10 Williams College, but they collected several notable wins throughout the season, including victories over No. 14 Middlebury, No. 7 Connecticut College, Babson, Bates, and defending 2024 national champion Amherst.
Tufts' path to the Final Four opened with a dominant 5-0 win over Penn State Harrisburg, followed by a dramatic 1-0 double-overtime victory against No. 18 Brandeis in the second round. Hosting both the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, the Jumbos then defeated Messiah University 4-1 before clinching their Final Four berth with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Bowdoin College.
Players to watch: Key contributors for the Jumbos include 2025 First Team All-Region awardees, Xavier Canfin whos tallied seven goals and six assists and Bijan Akhtarzandi-Das whos started all 22 of their games from defence and contributed with two goals and three assists. As well as Second Team All-Region awardees, Henry Brown whos notched seven goals and two assists and Daniel Yanez whos started 21 games in the midfield and scored five goals. Notably the Jumbos goalkeeper Nikola Antic also received First Team All-Region accolades and could be a good test coming up against the Tigers' potent offence.
On the St. Olaf College Lions: The Lions will be an almost entirely unfamiliar opponent for Trinity, as the programs have met only once, a 7-0 Tigers victory in San Antonio back in 2006.
Last season, the St. Olaf Lions put together an impressive 15-4-4 overall record and an 8-0-2 conference mark, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after defeating Gustavus Adolphus 3-2 in the MIAC Tournament final. The 2023 national champions aimed to repeat their title run but were eliminated in the NCAA Second Round by Wisconsin–Superior.
This year, the Lions fell 4-1 to Macalester in the MIAC Tournament final, but an exceptional regular-season campaign, finishing 16-2-3 overall and 9-0-1 in conference play, secured them an at-large bid. Their resume included a notable win over then No. 24 Gustavus Adolphus and draws against then No. 7 Augsburg and the University of Chicago. The teams share only one common opponent this season, Augsburg University. St. Olaf drew 2-2 with the Eagles during conference play, while Trinity earned a dominant 5-0 win over in the Elite Eight.
St. Olaf's path to the Final Four opened with a comfortable 3-0 win over Wisconsin–Superior in the first round and a 1-0 victory against Luther College in the second. The Lions then traveled to Northfield, Minnesota, where they defeated No. 15 Williams College 2-1 in the Sweet 16 before securing their Final Four berth with a confident 2-0 win over Wheaton College.
Players to watch: Key contributors for the Lions include 2025 MIAC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Region midfielder Ryan Bechtel, who has recorded eleven goals and thirteen assists. First Team All-Region midfielder Robi Buzakovic has added four goals and eight assists, while All-MIAC Honorable Mention forward Jack Soares leads the team with fourteen goals. Defensively, Second Team All-Region selection Caspar Olseth has anchored the back line, starting all 22 matches and contributing three goals and three assists.
