Trinity University

GEORGETOWN, TX - Trinity University Men's Soccer (12-2-6) opened its NCAA Division III Championship run with a 3-1 win over the University of La Verne (9-6-7) on Saturday evening at Southwestern Varsity Fields. The Tigers extended their unbeaten streak to 17 matches and booked a second-round meeting with the 13th-ranked regional hosts Southwestern University.
 
The two sides drew 1-1 at Paul McGinlay Field on the second weekend of the season, but this La Verne team looked very different. The Leopards had been missing several key players in that first meeting, and they arrived in Georgetown at full strength and in form, having routed Claremont 4-0 and edged Whittier 1-0 on the way to the SCIAC title. They showed it from the opening whistle, pressing high, moving the ball crisply through midfield and looking for chances to get in behind. But Trinity's back line stayed composed throughout, and La Verne's early pressure never turned into anything dangerous.
 
The Tigers had the better of the first-half chances. Hodge MacDonald (Hertford, England / Haileybury) nearly opened the scoring when he rounded goalkeeper Simonton, but off balance and at a tight angle, he sent his shot over the bar. The opener came in the 26th minute when Gabriel Romanenko (Los Angeles, California / Geffen Academy) curled a ball in from the left, which Milo Williams (Austin, Texas / University of Texas HS) diverted across the face of goal to Eduardo Parra (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma / Casady School) who stretched at the right edge of the six-yard box and hooked a scissor kick into the net for his team-leading 12th goal of the season.
 
With a second goal likely to put the tie firmly in their control, the Tigers kept probing, and they got it with less than two minutes left in the half. Alex Baltov (Shreveport, Louisiana / Caddo Parish Magnet) swung a corner from the left toward Luke Mayfield (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) at the back post, who headed it back across goal, to Eloy Ferrer (Houston, Texas / Tompkins), who was waiting in the middle and volleyed it into the bottom right-hand corner for his fourth and most important goal of the season. La Verne finally tested Jayden Schell (Dallas, Texas / Plano) in the closing seconds of the half, as he turned away efforts from Garza and All-SCIAC Second Team forward Soto, but Trinity went into the locker room with a 2-0 lead.
 
The second half followed the same script. Five minutes after the restart, MacDonald was through one-on-one again, but this time Simonton stood tall to keep him out. The decisive third goal arrived in the 74th minute, and once more it came from a corner. Romanenko's delivery caused chaos in the La Verne box, and when the Leopards couldn't clear, the ball fell to Ferrer. His miscued shot ran straight into the path of Mayfield, who calmly finished from close range. The goal was Mayfield's fourth of the season and capped a night in which he also had an assist. Ferrer finished with a goal and an assist in just 32 minutes of action, giving him six goal contributions on the season, at a rate of one every 37 minutes, the best on the team.
 
La Verne threw everything forward in the final 15 minutes, and the game opened up. With five minutes to play, Soto took possession outside the box and curled a sensational shot into the top right-hand corner. It came down off the crossbar and in, well beyond the reach of substitute goalkeeper Brandon Gongora (San Antonio, Texas / Madison). The Leopards' push for more left gaps at the back, and Samer Dimassi (Sugar Land, Texas / Clements) twice raced through on goal. The first time, he was brought down in the box. Freshman Landon Ortega (San Antonio, Texas / Central Catholic) showed real courage in stepping up to take the penalty, but his kick was not converted. It made no difference to the outcome and Trinity saw out the final minutes comfortably, so apart from one moment of brilliance from La Verne, it was close to a flawless defensive display.
 
Trinity outshot La Verne 14-8 and held 7-3 edges in shots on goal and 4-2 in corners. Schell made two saves and kept a clean sheet across 83 minutes, and Jack Madsen (Highland Park, Texas / Highland Park) closed out the final five minutes in goal. Simonton made four saves for the Leopards in just the fourth meeting between the programs.

Up Next
 
The Tigers now face No. 13 Southwestern in the NCAA second round on Sunday, November 15, at 5 p.m. in Georgetown, after the Pirates beat Hardin-Simmons 4-1 on Saturday. Trinity leads the all-time series 43-1-7, is unbeaten in the last 23 meetings, and will be looking to make it 24. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in Georgetown to open SAA play earlier this season, and it is sure to shape up to be a feisty affair between two local rivals.