BELTON, TX - Trinity University Men's Soccer (2-2-2) battled to a hard-fought 1-0 road win over Mary Hardin-Baylor (3-2) on Friday night at Cru Sports Plex, snapping a rough stretch and improving to 2-2-2 on the season.
The opening 20 minutes belonged almost entirely to the Tigers, who dominated possession and swung the ball around with purpose. The best of the early chances came in the 9th minute, when
Thomas Kay (Stanstead Mountfitchet, England / Bishop's Stortford) threaded a curling ball in behind down the left wing for an onrushing
Joey Perryman (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound), who cut inside and bent an effort just wide of the far post.
Just past the 20-minute mark, the Crusaders caught a break on a long throw into the box that bounced around the six-yard area before finding its way into the net. But the Tigers' coaching staff immediately called for a video review, and after a look at the replay, officials determined goalkeeper
Jayden Schell (Dallas, Texas / Plano) had been fouled while attempting to claim the ball. The goal was waved off, and the score stayed level. From there, the half evened out, with the Crusaders' long throw remaining their most dangerous weapon heading into the break. Trinity was outshot 4-3 in the opening period but held a 3-0 edge in saves, with Schell called into action early.
Trinity emerged from the locker room a different team. The Tigers controlled the second half from the opening whistle, patient in possession and relentless in creating chances. A return to the free-flowing style that carried the program to last year's national championship game. The breakthrough came with under 15 minutes to play when Perryman found space inside and laid the ball off perfectly for
Alex Baltov (Shreveport, La. / Caddo Parish Magnet), who took a single touch before rifling a shot from the top left of the box past a diving Taggart in the Crusaders' goal to notch his first goal of the season. The Tiger bench emptied in celebration as Baltov was mobbed by his teammates.
The closing stretch turned tense as Mary Hardin-Baylor threw numbers forward in search of an equalizer. With four minutes remaining, the Crusaders went down in the box following a challenge from
Leo Jauregui (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson), prompting a VAR review for a potential penalty. After several anxious minutes, the referee waved away the appeal, and Trinity was able to breathe again.
By the final whistle, the two sides had traded chances throughout. Mary Hardin-Baylor actually held the edge in total shots, 10-9, and shots on goal, 7-5, but the ever-present Schell was the difference-maker, turning away seven of the Crusaders' shots on frame to preserve the clean sheet. Baltov's 76th-minute strike proved to be the difference on a night that saw the Tigers pick up a much-needed result at a venue that's never easy to visit.
Up Next
The Tigers will look to extend their unbeaten run to four as they return home on Sunday, September 20th, to face off against Hardin-Simmons University at 1:00 p.m.
Â
