The Trinity Men's Soccer Team (11-2-6) received automatic qualification to the NCAA National Tournament with their SAA Championship triumph. The Tigers will face off against the University of La Verne Leopards on Saturday, November 14th, in the first round of the tournament with the winner of the tie progressing to the NCAA second round on Sunday, November 15th, to face the winner of the tie between the 13th-ranked regional hosts Southwestern University and the ASC Champions Hardin-Simmons University.
 
Last week, the Trinity Tigers won the Southern Athletic Association Championship for the first time in program history and stretched their unbeaten run to 16 matches with a pair of shutouts at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta. The No. 2-seeded Tigers beat No. 3 Berry 2-0 in Friday's semifinal, then edged No. 4 Rhodes 4-2 on penalties in Sunday's final after 110 scoreless minutes. The title moves them to 11-2-6 and clinches the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.
 
There were no surprises against Berry, as Trinity struck in the seventh minute. Thomas Kay (Stansted Mountfitchet, England / Bishop's Stortford) crossed to the back post, Gabriel Romanenko (Los Angeles, California / Geffen Academy) nodded it back across goal, and Hodge MacDonald (Hertford, England / Haileybury) finished. Seven minutes into the second half, Eduardo Parra (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma / Casady School) stole the ball from a Berry defender and chipped the keeper for his team-leading 11th goal. Jayden Schell (Dallas, Texas / Plano) made two saves for his fourth straight clean sheet, and Trinity avenged last year's semifinal loss to the Vikings.
 
In the final, Trinity held 77 percent of possession and outshot Rhodes 19-3, but Lynx goalkeeper Boegner made seven saves, leaving Trinity high and dry for 110 minutes and forcing a shootout. Parra hit the post on Trinity's third kick, but Schell saved twice, and Luke Mayfield (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce), Alex Baltov (Shreveport, Louisiana / Caddo Parish Magnet) and Joey Perryman (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound) all converted. Cade Dougan (Austin, Texas / St. Stephen's Episcopal) then buried the winner. Schell finished the weekend with his fifth straight clean sheet. He and Mayfield were named to the SAA All-Tournament Team, and Dougan was named the SAA Tournament's Most Valuable Player.
 
NCAA Tournament First Round
 
The Trinity Tigers kick off the NCAA Tournament with a match-up against the La Verne Leopards in Georgetown, Texas, on Saturday, November 14th, at 5:30 p.m.  
 
On the University of La Verne Leopards: The Leopards are a largely unfamiliar opponent for Trinity, as the two programs have met just three times in their history. Before this season, the teams hadn't faced each other since 1994, when Trinity won 10-0. This year, however, the Leopards met the Tigers on the second weekend of the regular season, and the hard-fought matchup ended in a 1-1 tie.
 
Earlier this season, the Tigers played out a 1-1 draw against La Verne at Paul McGinlay Field. Trinity controlled the first half and broke through in the 13th minute. Gustav Moberg (Borås, Sweden / Sven Eriksonsgymnasiet) had his shot parried by goalkeeper Simonton, and MacDonald pounced on the rebound to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead at the break and an 8-4 shot advantage. La Verne equalized against the run of play in the 52nd minute, finishing from a corner. In the 77th minute, the Leopards hit the post from the penalty spot, and moments later they were reduced to 10 men by a red card. The Tigers poured forward in search of a winner, and MacDonald appeared to be taken down by the keeper in the box, but no penalty was given, and Simonton's 11 saves kept the visitors level. Trinity outshot La Verne 17-11, held a 12-6 edge in shots on goal and a 7-2 edge in corners, and Schell made five saves.

The Leopards earned an automatic bid to the National Tournament by defeating Whittier College in the SCIAC Championship final. Since their early-season tie with the Tigers, the Leopards have had an up-and-down campaign, posting a 9-5-7 overall record and a 5-3-4 mark in conference play. Their regular season included two 1-0 losses to Redlands and a 2-1 loss to Claremont, a team that also beat the Tigers, along with a 2-2 draw against UC Santa Cruz, another common opponent that tied the Tigers. The Leopards found another gear in the SCIAC Tournament, with the jigsaw falling into place in a 4-0 rout of Claremont in the semifinal before edging Whittier 1-0 in the final.

Players to watch: Senior forward Juan Manzano, a 2026 All-SCIAC First Team selection, leads the Leopards' attack with five goals and seven assists. He's joined up front by senior forward Diego Soto, a 2026 All-SCIAC Second Team pick, who has six goals and an assist. In the midfield, senior Alexander Bastidas leads the team with seven goals and has added three assists, while junior Joel Trejo, also a 2026 All-SCIAC Second Team honoree, has chipped in six goals and four assists. On the back line, senior defender Joshua McCowan, a 2026 All-SCIAC First Team selection, has anchored a defense that has posted six shutouts.
 
Potential NCAA Second Round Opponents
 
Should the Trinity Tigers progress from the NCAA first round, they will face off against the winner of the first-round tie between 13th-ranked Southwestern University and Hardin-Simmons University in the NCAA second round on Sunday, November 15th, at 5:00 p.m. 
 
On the Southwestern University Pirates: The 13th-ranked Pirates are a familiar opponent for the Tigers. The two programs have met 51 times and have played every year since their first match-up in 1993, a 10-0 Trinity win at home. The series has been largely one-sided, with Trinity claiming 43 victories, including last season's 2-1 win that crowned the Tigers the 2025 SAA regular-season champions. Trinity has lost to the Pirates only once and is unbeaten in the last 23 meetings, so if the teams meet again, the Tigers will look to extend that streak to 24 and avoid just their second loss in the series. The two sides met earlier this season to open SAA play, with the Tigers coming away from Georgetown with a 0-0 draw.

The Pirates have had an excellent season, posting a 15-2-1 record and sitting 13th in the United Soccer Coaches poll and 18th in the NPI rankings. Their two losses came in a 3-1 defeat to East Texas Baptist on the season's opening weekend and a 1-0 loss to Rhodes in last week's SAA Tournament semifinal. Before that, they went unbeaten in 15 straight matches and won every SAA game apart from a 0-0 draw with Trinity, clinching the 2026 SAA regular-season title along the way. Despite the semifinal loss, they look like strong favorites to reach the NCAA Tournament second round.

Players to watch: Sophomore forward Grey Richards, the 2026 SAA Offensive Athlete of the Year, leads the Pirates' attack with ten goals and two assists. Senior defender Cooper Pero, the 2026 SAA Defensive Athlete of the Year, has chipped in six goals and an assist from the back. Senior midfielder Landon Guenther, a 2026 All-SAA First Team pick, has started every match he's appeared in and notched four goals and an assist. Freshman forward Brady Faulkner, the 2026 SAA Rookie of the Year, has tallied four goals and two assists, including both of his goals in the 3-1 win over Rhodes that clinched the regular-season title.

On the Hardin-Simmons University Cowboys: The Cowboys have been a very familiar opponent for Trinity, with the programs meeting 33 times in their history. Trinity has dominated the series, winning 28 of the match-ups. The first meeting came in 1991, ending in a 4-1 win for the Tigers, while the most recent clash came earlier in the season, when the Trinity won 4-0 at home. The two sides have faced each other six times in the last six seasons, with Trinity winning four and tying two.

The Cowboys earned an automatic bid to the National Tournament by defeating Mary Hardin-Baylor in the ASC Championship final. Since their early-season loss to the Tigers, the Cowboys have put together a solid campaign, posting a 10-7-1 overall record and a 7-2-1 mark in conference play. Their regular season included a 2-1 loss and a 0-0 draw against Mary Hardin-Baylor, a team the Tigers beat 1-0 on the road. The Cowboys clearly hit their stride down the stretch, losing just once in their final eight regular-season games before beating East Texas Baptist 4-1 in the ASC semifinal and edging Mary Hardin-Baylor 1-0 in the final.

Players to Watch: Sophomore midfielder Gabriel Anderson, a 2026 All-ASC First Team selection, has started every match and logged more minutes than anyone else on the team, adding three assists. Fellow sophomore midfielder Gabriel Rodriguez, also a 2026 All-ASC First Team selection, is the team's joint-leading goalscorer with seven goals to go with four assists. Senior defender Philip Nathans, a 2026 All-ASC Second Team selection, has started every game, ranks second on the team in minutes and has anchored a defense that has kept five clean sheets. Senior midfielder Edwin Macias, also a 2026 All-ASC Second Team selection, has hit his stride late in the season, contributing two goals and two assists and playing nearly every minute of both the ASC semifinal and final.

Looking Ahead
The Trinity Tigers are now fully in knockout territory, and should they advance to the NCAA Sweet 16, they will await the results of the other second-round match-ups on their side of the bracket. Notable programs in Trinity's bracket include No. 3 Williams College, No. 4 Case Western Reserve University, No. 14 Amherst College, No. 17 Messiah University and No. 24 Roger Williams University, to just name a few.