The Trinity University Men's Soccer team (1-2-2) will look to build on last weekend's positive results as they hit the road to face off against Mary Hardin-Baylor (3-1) on Friday, before returning home to take on Hardin-Simmons (1-3) on Sunday.
Last weekend, the Trinity Tigers battled to back-to-back draws at home, with the Tigers unable to hold a lead on Friday before rallying from behind on Sunday. Trinity dominated for long stretches against La Verne but settled for a 1-1 split after the Leopards leveled against the run of play, and on Sunday the Tigers erased a deficit against Texas A&M-San Antonio, with a stoppage-time penalty securing a 3-3 draw at
Paul McGinlay Field.
Against La Verne, Trinity went up 1-0 in the 13th minute when
Hodge MacDonald (Hertford, England / Haileybury) finished a rebound off a
Gustav Moberg (Borås, Sweden / Sven Eriksonsgymnasiet) shot. La Verne equalized in the 52nd minute via a Soto corner-kick finish, then missed a penalty off the post in the 77th before having a man sent off. Trinity pressed with the extra man but couldn't find a winner, finishing with a lopsided 17-11 shot edge and 12-6 advantage on goal.
Jayden Schell (Dallas, Texas / Plano) made five saves for the Tigers.
Two days later against Texas A&M-San Antonio,
Eduardo Parra (Oklahoma City, OK / Casady School) put Trinity up 1-0 in the 29th minute, but the Jaguars scored twice in quick succession early in the second half to lead 2-1.
Gabriel Romanenko (Los Angeles, California / Geffen Academy) headed home a
Julian Lopez (Austin, Texas / St. Stephen's Episcopal) cross to tie it at 2-2, before the Jaguars regained the lead in the 76th minute. In the 86th,
Daniel Urquidi (Round Rock, Texas / Round Rock) drew a penalty that
Luke Mayfield (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) converted to level the match 3-3 for good.
Preview
The Trinity Tigers will kick off their weekend on Friday, September 18th, at 7:00 p.m. away at the Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders. Less than 48 hours later, they will return home to face the Hardin-Simmons Cowboys on Sunday, September 21st, at 1:00 p.m.
On the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders: The Crusaders have been a familiar opponent for Trinity, with the programs meeting fourteen times in their history. Trinity has dominated the series, winning ten of the match-ups. The first meeting came in 2000, ending in a 9-0 win for the Tigers, while the most recent clash came at the back end of last season, when Trinity won 3-1 at home. The two sides have faced each other in each of the last five seasons, with Trinity winning four of them; their lone loss came in the 2022 season.
The 2025 showdown between the Tigers and Crusaders ended in a comfortable 3-1 Trinity victory, in a game that stayed scoreless through a cagey first half despite Trinity dominating possession and shots. The floodgates opened late. In the 75th minute,
Alex Ramirez (Houston, Texas / Humble) set up captain
Zachary Anderson (Davis, California / Davis) for a stunning outside-the-box volley to open the scoring. Just 26 seconds later,
Adam Knutson (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) won the ball off UMHB's keeper to draw a penalty, which Ramirez converted. Lopez added a second penalty in the 86th minute with a panenka finish, making it 3-0 before UMHB grabbed a late consolation goal in the 88th.
Last season, the Crusaders finished with an impressive 13-2-5 record, going 5-0-1 in ASC play. They were particularly strong at home (7-0-1), won the regular season title, and reached the final of the ASC Conference Tournament, only losing out to Hardin-Simmons on penalties, in a season that also saw them pick up ties against nationally ranked opponents Colorado College and Southwestern University.
The Crusaders enter this weekend's match-up with a 3-1 record, coming off a weekend in Washington that saw them defeat Whitworth University 5-0 before falling to Whitman College 3-1. They've lost significant experience from last year's roster, with only two of their seven All-ASC awardees returning for the 2026 season, leaving Trinity to face a young Crusaders squad eager to prove itself in what is always the Crusaders' biggest game of the season.
Players to watch: Key contributors for the Crusaders include sophomore midfielder Grayson Bowler, who's notched two goals and two assists so far; sophomore midfielder Martin Valdes, who's contributed three goals; 2025 All-ASC First Team senior midfielder Rhett Rapuzzi; and starting goalkeeper and 2025 ASC Goalkeeper of the Year Hughston Taggart.
On the Hardin-Simmons University Cowboys: The Cowboys have been a very familiar opponent for Trinity, with the programs meeting 32 times in their history. Trinity has dominated the series, winning 27 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 in the first round of last season's NCAA Tournament, when Trinity won 5-0 at home to advance to the second round. The two sides have faced each other five times in the last five seasons, with Trinity winning three and tying two.
The 2025 NCAA National Tournament First Round match-up between the Tigers and the Cowboys was a one-sided affair, with Trinity cruising to a dominant win. MacDonald opened the scoring in the 42nd minute, poking home his first collegiate goal from inside the six-yard box. Ramirez doubled the lead a minute later, converting a penalty into the right-hand roof of the net.
Samuel Theiss (Boerne, Texas / Boerne) added a third just after the hour mark, slotting a second penalty into the bottom corner, before Mayfield pounced on a loose ball in the 68th minute to make it four.
Joey Perryman (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound) capped the scoring late, smashing home a low cross from the top of the box. Schell and
Brandon Gongora (San Antonio, Texas / Madison) combined for the clean sheet in net. With the 5-0 win, Trinity advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Last season, the Cowboys finished with a solid 6-9-3 record, going 2-2-2 in ASC play. They grew in strength toward the end of the season, winning the ASC Conference Tournament after defeating Mary Hardin-Baylor on penalties, and advanced to the First Round of the NCAA National Tournament. Since then, the Cowboys have lost some key pieces from their 2025 squad, including United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-Region awardee Benny Lube and four of their seven 2025 All-ASC selections, but return key defensive pieces in 2025 All-ASC First Team awardees Gabriel Anderson and Carson Null.
The Cowboys enter this weekend's match-up with a 1-3 record, coming off a weekend that saw them defeat the University of Dallas 3-0 before falling to the University of St. Thomas 5-1. Prior to that, they dropped both opening weekend games, 1-0 to Concordia University and 2-1 to Lyon College.
Players to watch: Key contributors for the Cowboys include sophomore forward Landon Newman, who's scored four goals so far; 2025 All-ASC First Team sophomore midfielder Gabriel Anderson, who's started and played almost every minute this season; sophomore midfielder Gabriel Rodriguez, who's tallied two assists; and 2025 All-ASC Second Team junior midfielder Korbin Raef, who's notched one goal so far.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will be back at home on Friday, September 25th at 7:00 p.m. to face off against UC-Santa Cruz. They then follow that up on Sunday, September 27th, at 6:00 p.m. as they match-up against Concordia University.
