Trinity Men's Soccer (8-2-5) looks to extend its unbeaten streak to 14 games this weekend as it returns home for the final weekend of Southern Athletic Association regular-season play, hosting Rhodes College on Senior Night on Friday, October 30th, at 7:30 p.m., before closing out the regular season against Millsaps College on Sunday, November 1st, at 1:30 p.m. at Paul McGinlay Field.

Last week, the Trinity Tigers stretched their unbeaten run to twelve matches, taking all six points from a Southern Athletic Association road weekend in Tennessee. On Friday, Trinity beat Sewanee 4-1 at Puett Field to snap the hosts' four-game winning streak, then followed it up on Sunday with a 3-0 win at Maryville College, the program's first ever over the Scots, to improve to 8-2-5 on the season and stay unbeaten in conference play.

Against Sewanee, Trinity weathered a tough opening half hour on the hosts' small field before Eloy Ferrer (Houston, Texas / Tompkins) broke the deadlock in the 34th minute, turning home a Gabriel Romanenko (Los Angeles, California / Geffen Academy) cross just 12 seconds after coming on. Sewanee had a golden chance to level early in the second half, but the Defensive Player of the Week Jayden Schell (Dallas, Texas / Plano) dove to stop a penalty from Grayson White, who hadn't missed in his previous 15 attempts, and the save swung the game firmly in Trinity's favor. Five minutes later, captain Daniel Urquidi (Round Rock, Texas / Round Rock) set up the Offensive Player of the Week Eduardo Parra (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma / Casady School) for his team-leading eighth goal, and Thomas Kay (Stansted Mountfitchet, England / The Bishop's Stortford) soon added a third with a dipping 30-yard strike off the underside of the bar. Ferrer capped his afternoon with a second goal in the 81st minute, and although Sewanee pulled one back late, Trinity's clinical finishing improved the Tigers to 24-0 all-time against Sewanee.

Two days later at Maryville, Trinity wasted no time, taking the lead inside four minutes when Kay laid off a Julian Lopez (Austin, Texas / St. Stephen's Episcopal) pass for Parra to curl into the top corner, extending his scoring streak to four straight matches with his ninth goal of the season. The Tigers doubled their lead in the 18th minute, as Leo Jauregui (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson) whipped in a cross for Urquidi to nod home his first goal since moving up to striker. Even after losing two center backs to injury around halftime, Trinity stayed in control and added a third in the 67th minute through an own goal, while Schell, Brandon Gongora (San Antonio, Texas / Madison) and Jack Madsen (Highland Park, Texas / Highland Park) combined to keep Trinity's fourth clean sheet in six matches. The Tigers finished with a 21-5 shot advantage to even the all-time series at 1-1, some 32 years after a 3-1 loss in 1994, and capped a weekend in which they outscored their Tennessee hosts 7-1.

SAA Offensive Player of the Week - Eduardo Parra
 
From the SAA press release: 

Parra led the Tiger men's soccer team to road wins over Sewanee and Maryville in Southern Athletic Association weekend action, improving to 5-0-2 in conference play. Parra netted the game-winning goal in both games this weekend and leads Trinity with nine goals and 19 points, along with four game-winners. Parra scored Trinity's first goal of the second half to put the Tigers up 2-0 in the 60th minute of what would be a 4-1 win. His Sunday goal came in the fourth minute and was all the Tigers needed in a shutout victory to close the weekend.

SAA Defensive Player of the Week - Jayden Schell
 
From the SAA press release: 
 
Schell led Trinity's men's soccer team to a pair of road wins in Southern Athletic Association play over the weekend, defeating Sewanee 4-1 on Friday and blanking Maryville 3-0 on Sunday. Schell recorded two saves and faced five total shots to earn a clean sheet in the weekend finale. Schell had five total saves and allowed just one goal in Friday's win at Sewanee, including a penalty kick save in the 55th minute of a 1-0 game.
 
Preview

The Trinity Tigers will kick off their final weekend of regular-season SAA play on Friday, October 30th, at 7:30 p.m. as they match up against the Rhodes College Lynx before facing off against the Millsaps College Majors on Sunday, November 1st, at 1:30 p.m.

On the Rhodes College Lynx: The Lynx are a familiar opponent for the Tigers. The two programs have met 25 times since 1991, and while Trinity dropped that first meeting 4-3, it has won 19 matchups since, including last season's 1-0 home win, and hasn't lost to Rhodes since 2001.

The 2025 meeting between Trinity and Rhodes was a test of resolve, as the No. 6 nationally ranked Tigers played the final hour a man down and still ground out a 1-0 win on a windy night at Paul McGinlay Field. Trinity controlled possession from the start and fired six first-half shots. The breakthrough came in the 19th minute, when Cade Dougan (Austin, Texas / St. Stephen's Episcopal) threaded a pass to defender Alex Baltov (Shreveport, Louisiana / Carson Parish Magnet), who half-volleyed it over the goalkeeper from the top of the box. The match turned nine minutes later, when Jeremy Siau (Granite Bay, California / Granite Bay) was sent off on a contentious second yellow card. Rhodes pushed to exploit the extra man, but a back line anchored by Luke Mayfield (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) and then-freshman goalkeeper Gongora never cracked. Tempers flared late, with cautions on both sides and a Rhodes red card that evened the numbers for the closing minutes, and Trinity saw out the result to improve to 12-1-0 overall and 5-0-0 in SAA play, extending its conference winning streak to five and its unbeaten run at home.

Rhodes posted a disappointing 3-8-3 record last season, going 1-4-2 in SAA play, and failed to reach the SAA Conference Tournament. Despite the mediocre season, the Lynx retained most of their squad heading into the 2026 season. Their only notable departure was 2025 All-SAA Honorable Mention Jason Viani, while they retained all of the other four All-SAA Honorees. 

This fall has been a different story for the Lynx, who are 8-1-5 overall and unbeaten in SAA play at 4-0-2. Before conference play began, Rhodes notably went on the road and drew 2-2 with Washington University in St. Louis, Trinity's 2025 Sweet 16 opponent. The Lynx enter Friday's match on a six-game unbeaten streak that includes a 2-0 win over Berry and a 6-0 rout of Centre, two teams Trinity tied 1-1 and beat 4-0, respectively. Unbeaten on the road at 3-0-3, eager to turn the tables after last year's tight contest, and with a bye to the SAA Tournament semifinals at stake, Rhodes should provide a stiff test on Friday night.

Players to watch: Senior midfielder Luke Grant leads the Lynx with eight goals this season. Sophomore midfielder Vincent Stephens, a 2025 All-SAA Honorable Mention, has added three goals and three assists. Senior defender and captain Max Sosa, a 2025 All-SAA Second Team selection, comes in hot after recording two goals and an assist in Rhodes' last outing. Freshman defender Henry McGahey has started every match and leads all Rhodes outfield players in minutes played.

On the Millsaps College Majors: Trinity and Millsaps are no strangers to each other, having met 22 times since 1991. Trinity won that first meeting 2-0 and has never looked back, going unbeaten in the series ever since. Last season's matchup was no exception, as Trinity came away with a 3-1 home win.

The 2025 meeting between Trinity and Millsaps was a comfortable one for the No. 6 nationally ranked Tigers, who controlled the afternoon at Paul McGinlay Field on the way to a 3-1 win that kept their conference record perfect. Trinity pinned Millsaps in its own half from the opening whistle and outshot the visitors 11-1 before the break. The opener came in the 19th minute, when Lopez beat a defender to a loose ball in the area, was brought down, and then senior captain Adam Knutson (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) calmly converted from the spot. Less than ten minutes later, defender Matt Lim (Davao City, Philippines / Montverde Academy (Florida)) poked a ball in the box to Joey Perryman (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound), who took one touch and struck it on the bounce into the top corner to make it 2-0. Millsaps pulled one back midway through the second half after capitalizing on a Trinity mistake, but the graduated Samuel Theiss (Boerne, Texas / Boerne) ended any comeback hopes in the 80th minute, driving forward from midfield and launching a long-range effort over a rooted goalkeeper. Trinity outshot Millsaps 19-6 and improved to 13-1-0 overall and 6-0-0 in SAA play.

Millsaps went 7-8-2 last season but struggled in SAA play at 1-6 and missed the conference tournament. Despite the disappointing league campaign, the Majors were a young team and returned most of their key players for 2026.

This fall has followed a similar pattern for the Majors. Despite an 8-5-3 overall record, they are just 2-3-1 in conference play and could miss the SAA Tournament again with a poor weekend. Millsaps opened the season with a 6-1 loss to Maryville, a team Trinity just beat 3-0, but has been far more competitive since, winning 1-0 at a tough Sewanee side and routing Centre 6-0 at home. Trinity beat those two teams 4-1 and 4-0, respectively. With a tournament spot at stake and last season's 3-1 loss to the Tigers still fresh, Millsaps will bring its best to Friday's match against 5th-ranked Southwestern and Sunday's meeting with Trinity.

Players to watch: Sophomore midfielder Raul Blandon leads the Majors with five goals. Junior forward Ellis Dykes has added three goals and three assists, and freshman forward Zachary Diamond has contributed three goals and two assists. While Sophomore defender Daniel Lee leads all Millsaps outfield players in minutes played.

Up Next

The Tigers have already clinched a spot in the SAA Tournament and will await their opponent following the conclusion of the final weekend of regular-season play. The tournament will be hosted by Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, and is scheduled for Thursday, November 5, through Sunday, November 8.