ABILENE, Texas – The No. 4 Trinity Men's soccer team fell just short, losing 3-2 to the No. 20 Christopher Newport Captains to close out their second game in 24 hours.

The game opened in chaotic fashion, with the Captains striking just 43 seconds in after a defensive lapse. Trinity, however, wasted little time finding their rhythm. The Tigers settled into their trademark free-flowing, possession-heavy style and equalized in the eighth minute. A well-executed corner routine left the ball at the feet of Luke Chandler (Glasgow, Scotland / Balfron), who calmly finessed the ball home to level the score at 1-1. The back-and-forth continued, and only six minutes later, a defensive miscue allowed CNU to retake the lead at 2-1. Despite the deficit, Trinity controlled the first half, outshooting the Captains 8-4 and keeping sustained pressure in the attacking third.

The second half began with Trinity pushing forward, but a dangerous free kick in the 53rd minute gave Christopher Newport the chance to extend their advantage to 3-1. Matters worsened in the 63rd minute when Max Salinas (Austin, Texas / Austin) was shown a controversial red card, forcing the Tigers to play the final half hour with ten men. Instead of folding, Trinity showed resilience and dominated the closing stages. Their persistence was rewarded in the 83rd minute when Adam Knutson (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) whipped in a cross that Aiden Perales (Corpus Christi, Texas / Veterans Memorial) rose to meet, powering a header into the corner to cut the deficit to 3-2.

The Tigers threw everything forward in the final minutes, creating wave after wave of attack, but the equalizer never came. Despite controlling long stretches of the match, a clinical CNU side and a few decisive calls went against Trinity, leaving the Tigers on the wrong end of a match of fine margins.

Up Next
The Tigers will look to bounce back at home on Friday, September 26th, when they host UC Santa Cruz under the lights of Paul McGinlay Field at 6:00 p.m.