Fresh off an NCAA Elite 8 appearance, the Tigers kick off the 2025 season with high expectations and a national spotlight. The Tigers will host both of their opening season matchups at the Paul this weekend. These first matches will kick off the season for the Tigers, who begin a new chapter this fall as members of the Southern Athletic Association (SAA).

Trinity will look to replace a pair of All-Americans in Michaela Bosco (Weatherford, Texas / Weatherford) and Lauryn Lewis (Carrollton, Texas / Creekview), who completed their careers. There are two First Team All-Region players and seven All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference honorees returning from a year ago. Sophomore Kylie Harris (Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point) was the SCAC Defensive Player of the Year and the SCAC Newcomer of the Year and was joined on the United Soccer Coaches All-Region First Team by senior Bri Werner (Woodbine, Md. / Glenelg). In addition to Harris and Werner, junior Malea Cesar (Portland, Ore. / Sunset) was also on the All-SCAC First Team in 2024, with senior Clara Richards (Buffalo, N.Y. / Williamsville South) earning Second Team honors. Juniors Madisyn Barganski (Corpus Christi, Texas / Flour Bluff) and Daryan Willyard (Austin, Texas / Lake Travis) received All-SCAC Honorable Mention, with sophomore Ellie Kriek (New Orleans, La. / The Willow School) receiving the same recognition. Six of those seven Tigers, along with sophomore Maggie Hartnett (San Antonio, Texas / Alamo Heights), started at least half of the team games last season. Four additional players saw action in at least 20 games last year, resulting in an abundance of experienced players back for another strong run in 2025.
 
United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll
Following its run to the NCAA Quarterfinals and an 18-2-3 record last season, Trinity also receives the distinction of being ranked 10th in the preseason Division III poll released mid-summer. NCAA Champion Washington University-St. Louis occupies the top spot, followed by last year's runner-up in William Smith College (NY). Christopher Newport University (VA), Emory University (GA), and Johns Hopkins University (MD) round out the top five schools in the opening poll of the 2025 season. Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (CA) (#19) and Pacific Lutheran (#23) are the only other ranked teams from Trinity's region (Region X) coming into the new year.

SAA Preseason Poll
The SAA women's soccer coaches also completed their predicted order of finish for the conference schools in 2025 and Trinity was picked to win the title this year by a narrow margin. The Tigers received four first-place votes and tallied 53 total points to edge out defending SAA Champion Sewanee, which received three first-place votes and finished with 51 points. Centre College (KY) received the final first-place vote to finish third in the preseason rankings, followed by Rhodes College (TN), Southwestern University (TX), Berry College (GA), Oglethorpe University (GA), and Millsaps College (MS).

Preview - First Glimpses of Action at the Paul
Trinity kicks off its schedule on Friday, August 29 at 3:30 PM against Texas A&M–San Antonio, followed by a Sunday morning matchup against Pacific Lutheran University on August 31 at 11:30 AM. 

On the Texas A&M San Antonio Jaguars: Friday's meeting against the Jaguars, who compete in the NAIA, will mark one of the first-ever matchups between Trinity and A&M–San Antonio, giving the Tigers an early opportunity to test themselves against a new opponent this Fall.

On the Pacific Lutheran Lutes: The Tigers last faced the Lutes in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, where Trinity earned a hard-fought 1–0 victory to advance in postseason play. The Lutes contend in the Northwest Conference, providing a quality non-conference challenge early in the year for the Tigers. As previously mentioned, PLU also comes into the weekend ranked 23rd in D-III.
 
Looking Ahead
Following opening weekend, the Tigers hit the road for two high-profile non-conference matchups. Trinity will face the University of Dallas  on September 5, before taking on nationally recognized MIT on September 6 in Dallas.