SAN ANTONIO, TX - The Trinity University Men's Soccer team (5-2-5) pushed its unbeaten run to nine matches on Friday night, battling Berry College (7-4-2) to a 1-1 draw at
Paul McGinlay Field in the first meeting between the sides since the Vikings knocked the Tigers out of last year's SAA Tournament on penalties.
Trinity took control from the opening whistle, dominating possession and setting a relentless tempo against a Berry side that came in 4-2-1 on the road. The Tigers nearly struck in the 13th minute when
Alex Baltov (Shreveport, Louisiana / Caddo Parish Magnet) forced a save from Vikings goalkeeper Cooper Cherry, and
Eduardo Parra (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma / Casady School) pounced on the rebound only to see his effort cleared away. Berry tested
Jayden Schell (Dallas, Texas / Plano) twice in the opening half, but the Tigers held a 6-3 shot advantage at the break with the match still scoreless.
The breakthrough came ten minutes after halftime through a brilliant piece of combination play. Parra glanced a header into the path of
Leo Jauregui (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson) down the right wing, who drove at pace into the penalty area, beat his defender, and cut the ball back to the center of the box. Parra took one touch and calmly slotted it beneath Cherry in the 56th minute for his sixth goal of the season.
Berry found its equalizer against the run of play in the 77th minute. Off a corner, the Vikings found a rare lapse in the Trinity back line, and Champ rose unmarked to head home an Epstein delivery and level the score.
The Tigers threw everything forward in search of a winner.
Luke Mayfield (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) forced a save from Cherry in the 84th minute, and
Joey Perryman (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound) drew another stop three minutes later with a low drive toward the bottom left corner. Trinity came agonizingly close in the final minute, when captain
Daniel Urquidi (Round Rock, Texas / Round Rock) smashed a shot from inside the box off the crossbar, but the ball stayed out and the Vikings held on.
Trinity outshot Berry 16-6 and held a 4-1 edge in corners. Parra led all players with five shots, two on frame, while Schell made three saves. Cherry finished with four stops for the Vikings.
The draw keeps Trinity unbeaten in regulation against Berry across four all-time meetings.Â
Up Next
The Tigers close out their home SAA weekend on Sunday, October 18, at 1:30 p.m. against Oglethorpe University, looking to extend a 19-game winning streak against the Stormy Petrels.
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