The Trinity University women's soccer team (8-0-0) opens SAA play this week, traveling to Southwestern University (5-3-2) on Tuesday before heading to Kentucky to face Centre College (6-2-3) on Sunday.
Last weekend, the Tigers extended their unbeaten start with a pair of shutouts over former SCAC opponent, edging Texas Lutheran 1-0 on the road Friday before rolling past St. Thomas 5-0 at home Sunday.
At Texas Lutheran, Trinity controlled possession from the opening whistle and spent long stretches in the Bulldogs' half, sending dangerous service into the box and testing the keeper from distance, but the teams went into the break scoreless. The Tigers finally broke through in the 61st minute when
Lila Brackin (Dallas, Texas / Lake Highlands) won the ball off a Texas Lutheran goal kick, slipped past two defenders and placed a shot into the upper right corner for the game's only goal. Trinity outshot the Bulldogs 17-3, put six shots on goal to Texas Lutheran's one and held a 7-0 edge in corner kicks.
Against St. Thomas, Trinity pulled away in the second half with three goals in just over seven minutes, between the 66th and 74th minutes, to seal the win. The Tigers outshot the Celts (2-4-2) 38-2, including a 14-2 edge in shots on goal, and held an 18-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Erin O'Donnell (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) opened the scoring in the sixth minute, heading in a ball served by
Alex Doran (Boerne, Texas / Geneva School of Boerne).
Lilly Fant (Crownsville, Md. / Old Mill) doubled the lead in the 35th minute with a header of her own, assisted by
Emily Camp (Houston, Texas / The Kinkaid School) and
Hailey Schlosser (San Jose, Calif. / Branham). Doran took over after the break, scoring unassisted in the 66th minute and again just over two minutes later to make it 4-0.
Finley Hoover (Houston, Texas / St. Agnes Academy) capped the scoring in the 74th minute after
Rowan Hankins (Salt Lake City, Utah / Judge Memorial Catholic) made a clever dummy run, letting a ball from
Anna Newland (Kirkwood, Mo. / Kirkwood) roll past her and sending Hoover in alone on the keeper. Hoover finished the 1-on-1 chance, with Newland and Hankins credited with the assists.
SAA Defensive Player of the Week - Maggie Hartnett
From the SAA press release:
"Hartnett led the Tiger women's soccer team to back-to-back shutouts over the weekend, scoring a 1-0 road win over Texas Lutheran, followed by a 5-0 win against St. Thomas (TX). Hartnett and the Trinity defense allowed just five total shots in the two games with only three shots on target across 180 minutes of action. Trinity has recorded five shutouts in its first eight games this season and remains undefeated at 8-0-0."
The Preview
The Tigers open SAA play at Southwestern University on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 5 PM. They then travel to Danville, Kentucky, to face Centre College on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 11 AM ET (10 AM CT).
On the Southwestern University Pirates: Southwestern is a familiar opponent for Trinity, with the program's first meeting in 1993. The Tigers hold a 45-3-1 all-time edge in the series, and the most recent meeting came last season, when Trinity earned a 2-0 win.
In the 2025 meeting, Trinity stayed patient and broke through in the 67th minute when Doran received the ball at the top of the 18-yard box, dribbled through several Pirate defenders and fired home from near the penalty spot. The Tigers doubled the lead In the 84th minute when
Clara Richards (Buffalo, N.Y. / Williamsville South) delivered a corner kick to the top of the six-yard box, where
Ilsa Newland (St. Louis, Mo. / Kirkwood) ran onto it and redirected it into the back of the net. The win clinched the SAA regular-season title for the Tigers.
Last season, the Pirates finished 7-8-4 overall and 2-3-2 in SAA play before falling 2-0 to Sewanee in the SAA Tournament quarterfinals. Southwestern returns both of its 2025 All-SAA selections, giving the Pirates a young roster with key experience back.
This season, Southwestern is 5-2-2, highlighted by a 1-0 win over former SCAC opponent, Texas Lutheran. The Pirates are coming off a 3-0 loss to UC Santa Cruz in their most recent matchup.
Players to watch: Key contributors for the Pirates include senior forward Jackie Powell, a 2025 All-SAA selection with one goal and one assist; junior forward Kristine Garcia, who has four goals and one assist; and junior defender Matti Penders, who has two goals and one assist.
On the Centre College Colonels: Trinity holds a 21-1-1 all-time record against Centre, with the series dating back to 1993. The most recent meeting came in the 2025 SAA Tournament semifinals, when the Tigers won 2-0.
In that matchup,
Hanna Khan (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) accounted for both goals. In the sixth minute, Brackin collected a ball from midfield, charged forward and found Khan inside the 18-yard box, where Khan took a touch and ripped a shot into the back of the net. Fourteen minutes later,
Elie Kriek (New Orleans, La. / The Willow School) served a deep corner kick that bounced past the back post to
Bri Werner (Woodbine, Md. / Glenelg), who laid it back to Khan at the top of the box. Khan buried a shot into the far corner to make it 2-0.
Last season, the Colonels finished 13-5-2 overall and 3-3-1 in SAA play before falling to Trinity in the conference semifinals. Centre graduated midfielder Alexis Kronenthal and forward Riley Givens, both 2025 All-SAA Second Teams selections, with Givens leading the team with seven goals. Still, the Colonels return seven of their 10 All-SAA selections.
This season, Centre is 6-2-3 and 2-0 in SAA play. The highlight of its season is a 1-1 draw with No. 2 Emory, and the Colonels opened conference play last weekend with a 2-0 win over Berry and a 4-0 win over Oglethorpe.
Players to watch: Key contributors for the Colonels include junior forward Zara McCarthy, who has five goals and three assists; junior defender Aida Bell, who has three goals; and junior defender Brooke Beasley, who has started all 11 games and has two goals and one assist on the season.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers return home to host Berry College on Friday, Oct. 16, at 5 PM and Oglethorpe University on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 11 AM.
