The Trinity Men's Soccer Team (10-2-5) will head to Oglethorpe University for the SAA Tournament from Thursday, November 5th, through Sunday, November 8th. After finishing as runners-up in regular season play, the Tigers have the No. 2 seed heading into the tournament and automatically get a bye to the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the quarterfinal tie between the No. 3 Berry College and the No. 6 Oglethorpe University on Friday, November 6th at 3:00 p.m (ET). In the event of a win for the Tigers, they will face one of the No. 1 seed Southwestern University, the No. 4 seed Rhodes College, or the No. 5 seed Sewanee University in the final on Sunday, November 8th.
Last week, the Trinity Tigers stretched their unbeaten run to 14 matches, closing out the regular season with a pair of shutout wins in San Antonio. On Saturday, Trinity beat Rhodes 2-0 at Saint Mary's Hall to hand the Lynx their first conference loss of the season, then followed it up on Sunday with a 3-0 win over Millsaps at
Paul McGinlay Field to finish 10-2-5 overall and 6-0-2 in Southern Athletic Association play, clinching the No. 2 seed for this weekend's SAA Championship.
Torrential rain pushed the Rhodes match from Friday night to Saturday afternoon and moved it across town, but the change did little to unsettle Trinity against a Lynx side that arrived unbeaten in conference play and on the road. The Tigers controlled possession from the opening whistle and broke through in the 26th minute, when
Joey Perryman (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound) played a one-two with
Cade Dougan (Austin, Texas / St. Stephen's Episcopal) off a half-cleared corner and curled a ball to the back post for
Luke Mayfield (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce), still forward from the set piece, to tap home. Rhodes went more direct after the break, but
Jayden Schell (Dallas, Texas / Plano) got down to deny Stephens in the 55th minute, and Trinity's back line held the Lynx's leading scorer, Grant, to a single shot off target. The Tigers sealed it in the 76th minute, as
Jeremy Siau (Granite Bay, California / Granite Bay) curled a ball in behind for
Milo Williams (Austin, Texas / University of Texas), who lofted a pass to an unmarked
Eduardo Parra (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma / Casady School) for a header into the bottom corner, the substitute's team-leading 10th goal and his fifth straight match on the scoresheet. Trinity finished with a 10-3 shot advantage and a 6-0 edge in corners to earn its 20th win in 26 all-time meetings with Rhodes and stay unbeaten against the Lynx since 2001.
A day later against Millsaps, Trinity was held scoreless through the first half before Mayfield struck again just 3:39 after the restart, scoring for the second straight day on a team-high four shots. Williams doubled the lead in the 71st minute, finishing off a move set up by
Julian Lopez (Austin, Texas / St. Stephen's Episcopal) for his third goal of the season, and
Finnegan Saunders (Albuquerque, New Mexico / Sandia Prep) put the result beyond doubt in the 90th minute, converting from
Luke van Leer (Evanston, Illinois / Evanston Township) and
Mateo Machado (Mexico City, Mexico / Reagan) for his second of the year. At the other end, Schell made two saves for his second straight clean sheet and Trinity's sixth in eight matches, as the Tigers outshot the Majors 18-6, stayed unbeaten all-time against Millsaps and finished a weekend in which they outscored their visitors 5-0.
SAA Defensive Player of the Week - Daniel Urquidi
From the SAA Press Release:
Urquidi anchored a Trinity defensive unit that recorded consecutive shutouts in wins over Rhodes (2-0) and Millsaps (3-0), helping the Tigers finish conference play unbeaten at 6-0-2. Urquidi started both matches and played 176 minutes across the two victories, helping limit opponents to just nine combined shots and three shots on goal while the Tigers secured their second and third consecutive clean sheets.
SAA Offensive Notable Performance - Luke Mayfield
From the SAA Press Release:
Mayfield scored the game-winning goal in both of Trinity's victories during the week, helping the Tigers earn a 2-0 win over Rhodes and a 3-0 shutout of Millsaps to finish the regular season unbeaten in SAA play. Mayfield opened the scoring against Rhodes in the 27th minute before finding the net again just 3:39 into the second half against Millsaps.
SAA Semi-final preview
The Trinity Men's Soccer team kicks off their tournament weekend on Friday, November 6th, at 3:00 p.m. against the winner of the quarterfinal tie between Berry College and Oglethorpe University
On the No. 3 seed Berry College Vikings: The Vikings are a relatively unfamiliar opponent for the Tigers, with the two sides meeting just four times. Trinity won the first meeting 6-0 in 2024, then added a 4-0 road win and 1-1 draw last season, before playing to a 1-1 draw at
Paul McGinlay field in this season's regular season campaign. Still unbeaten against the Vikings in regulation, Trinity will look to stretch that run to four games and avenge last year's tournament exit should they face off in a semifinal rematch.
Earlier this season, the Tigers played out a 1-1 draw against the Vikings at
Paul McGinlay Field, in a rematch of last year's SAA Tournament exit on penalties. Trinity controlled the game from the opening whistle, dominating possession and setting a relentless tempo, but despite a 6-3 shot advantage, the Tigers went into halftime level. The breakthrough came ten minutes after the restart through a brilliant piece of combination play, as Parra glanced a header into the path of
Leo Jauregui (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson), who drove into the box and cut the ball back for Parra to slot home his sixth goal of the season. Berry equalized against the run of play in the 77th minute, heading home a corner after a rare lapse in the Trinity back line. The Tigers threw everything forward in search of a winner, and captain
Daniel Urquidi (Round Rock, Texas / Round Rock) came agonizingly close in the final minute when his shot from inside the box crashed off the crossbar. Trinity outshot Berry 16-6 and held a 4-1 edge in corners, extending its unbeaten run to nine matches and remaining unbeaten in regulation against the Vikings all-time.
The Vikings have had a very solid SAA campaign, collating an overall record of 5-2-1, which is an improvement on last year's 3-3-1 regular season record that was the foundation for their SAA Tournament Championship win. They enter their quarterfinal matchup off the back of two wins over Sewanee University and Maryville College. Outside of these wins, their only slip-ups came away from home in a 2-0 loss at Rhodes College, a 2-1 loss at 5th-ranked Southwestern University, and a 1-1 draw away at Trinity.
Players to watch: Freshman defender Joey Captain, a 2026 All-SAA First Team selection, has been a standout for the Vikings, starting all 16 games and contributing eight goals and an assist. Fellow freshman defender Elijah Van Heijden has also started every game and chipped in two goals, while freshman forward Callen Maas has added five goals of his own. In goal, senior Cooper Cherry, a 2026 All-SAA First Team selection, has started every match and posted four clean sheets.
On the No. 6 seed Oglethorpe University Stormy Petrels: The Stormy Petrels are a far more familiar opponent for the Tigers, with the programs meeting 21 times. Oglethorpe won the first meeting 3-2 in 1992, but Trinity has won every matchup since, a 20-game winning streak extended by this season's 1-0 regular season victory. This season's game marks just the second meeting between the sides since a 1-0 Tigers win in 2010. If the teams were to face, Trinity will look to stretch the streak to 21 matches.
Earlier this season, the Tigers defeated the Stormy Petrels 1-0 at
Paul McGinlay Field, extending their winning streak over Oglethorpe to 20 straight games, a run dating back to 1992. Trinity came out flying and needed just nine minutes to find the breakthrough, as Lopez turned on the right flank and slipped Jauregui in behind toward the byline. Jauregui whipped a ball into the box, where Parra rose at the top of the six-yard box and glanced a brilliant header into the bottom corner for his team-leading seventh goal of the season. From there, the Tigers kept Oglethorpe pinned in its own end, building a 10-1 shot advantage by halftime without allowing a single shot on target, but All-SAA goalkeeper Lewis stood firm to keep the margin at one. The second half followed the same script, with Trinity dictating the tempo and pushing for an insurance goal that never came. Oglethorpe's best chance arrived in the 90th minute off a late corner, but Schell was equal to it, making his only save of the afternoon to preserve the clean sheet. The Tigers outshot the Stormy Petrels 16-5 and held an 11-3 edge in corners, as Parra's early header proved the difference in a deserved win that stretched Trinity's unbeaten run to ten matches.
The Stormy Petrels' regular season has been as up-and-down as their 2025 campaign. They went 2-4-2 in SAA play, with losses to Berry, fifth-ranked Southwestern, Sewanee and Trinity. Their two victories were a 1-0 win over Centre and a 2-1 win over Maryville, the two sides that failed to qualify for the SAA Tournament. Oglethorpe will be boosted by a home crowd and the chance to go one better in a rematch of last year's quarterfinal, which they lost 3-1 to Berry.
Players to watch: Sophomore goalkeeper Sebastian Lewis, a 2026 All-SAA Second Team selection, has kept five clean sheets and even scored the game-winning penalty against Centre. Up front, sophomore forward Nathan Leveque leads the attack with four goals and four assists. Freshman center back Eli Beard, a 2026 All-SAA Honorable Mention, has logged more minutes than anyone on the roster, while freshman midfielder Sawyer Lee has started every game and added an assist.
Potential SAA Tournament Final Opponents
If all goes well and the Tigers win their semi-final matchup. They will face one of 5th-ranked Southwestern University, Rhodes College or Sewanee University in the final on Sunday, November 8th at 12:00 p.m. (ET).
On the No. 1 seed Southwestern University Pirates: The 5th-ranked Pirates are a familiar opponent for the Tigers. The two programs have met 51 times and have played every year since their first matchup 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 2025 SAA regular-season champions. Trinity has lost to the Pirates only once and is unbeaten in the last 23 meetings, so if they match up the Tigers will be looking to extend that streak to 24 and avoid their first loss in the series since 2013. These two sides faced earlier this season to open their SAA conference campaigns, with the Tigers coming away from Georgetown with a 0-0 draw.
The Pirates have had an excellent season so far, holding a 15-1-1 record and sitting fifth in the United Soccer Coaches poll and eighth in the NPI rankings. Their lone loss was a 3-1 defeat to East Texas Baptist University on the season's opening weekend. They are unbeaten in fifteen matches since, and apart from a 0-0 draw with Trinity, they won every SAA game on their way to clinching the 2026 SAA Regular Season title last weekend. They look like strong favorites to reach the SAA Tournament final, having already beaten potential semifinal opponents Rhodes College 3-1 and Sewanee 2-1 this season.
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 featured in and notched four goals and an assist. While freshman forward Brady Faulkner, the 2026 SAA Rookie of the Year, has tallied four goals and two assists with two of the goals coming in the 3-1 win over Rhodes to clinch the regular season title.
On the No. 4 seed Rhodes College Lynx: The Lynx are a familiar opponent for the Tigers. The two programs have met 26 times since 1991, and while Trinity dropped that first meeting 4-3, it has won 20 matchups since, including last weekend's 2-0 home win, and hasn't lost to Rhodes since 2001.
The Lynx have had a strong season so far, holding an 8-3-5 record. They were unbeaten in SAA play heading into the final weekend, with three wins and three draws, before falling 2-0 to Trinity and 3-1 to Southwestern. Their quarterfinal against Sewanee looks like a toss-up, given the 0-0 draw between the sides earlier in the campaign. If Rhodes does advance, a semifinal against Southwestern would be an intriguing contest, as both teams play a similarly physical, direct style.
Players to watch: Senior midfielder Luke Grant, a 2026 All-SAA Second Team pick, leads the Lynx with eight goals this season. Sophomore midfielder Vincent Stephens, a 2026 All-SAA Second team pick, has added three goals and three assists. Senior defender and captain Max Sosa, a 2026 All-SAA First Team pick, has guided the team to five clean sheets in eight conference games and notched two goals and an assist from the back. Freshman defender Henry McGahey, a 2026 All-SAA Honorable Mention, has started every match and leads all Rhodes outfield players in minutes played.
On the No. 5 seed Sewanee University Tigers: Trinity and Sewanee are no strangers to each other, having met 24 times since 1991. Trinity won that first meeting 4-0 and has never looked back, going unbeaten in the series ever since. This season's matchup was no exception, as Trinity came away with an impressive 4-1 road win.
Sewanee has had a very solid season overall, holding a 12-5-2 record, but stalled slightly in SAA play at 3-4-1. Its conference losses came against Southwestern, Trinity, Berry and, surprisingly, Millsaps, who failed to qualify for this weekend's tournament. The quarterfinal against Rhodes is hard to call after the sides drew 0-0 in the opening match of the regular season, but conditions could favor Sewanee, as Oglethorpe's field closely matches its home pitch in both surface and size.
Players to watch: Junior forward Grayson White, a 2026 All-SAA Second Team pick, leads the Tigers' attack with seven goals and 10 assists in 18 games. Sophomore forward Thomas McGowan, a 2026 All-SAA First Team pick, has added ten goals and three assists in 17 appearances. At the back, sophomore defender Edward Kennedy, a 2026 All-SAA Honorable Mention, has started all 17 games he's played, logging a team-high in minutes while chipping in two goals. Sophomore midfielder Brady Lloyd, a 2026 All-SAA Second Team pick, has started every game and tallied a goal and two assists.
Looking Ahead
Should Trinity Men's Soccer win the SAA Conference Tournament, they will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and would await the outcome of the NCAA DIII selection show on Monday, November 9th.
