The Trinity Women's Soccer Team (6--0) will look to extend its unbeaten start as the Tigers hit the road to face off against Texas Lutheran University (6-0) on Friday, before returning home to take on St. Thomas University (2-3-2) on Sunday.
Last weekend, the Trinity Tigers swept a pair of regional opponents in Abilene, with a 5-1 victory over Hardin-Simmons on Friday then a 3-1 win against McMurry University to complete a perfect weekend.
Against Hardin-Simmons, the Tigers wasted no time getting on the board with
Lila Brackin (Dallas, Texas / Lake Highlands) opening the scoring in the eighth minute off an assist from
Alex Doran (Boerne, Texas / Geneva School of Boerne). Doran then converted a penalty kick in the 28th minute, drawn by Brackin, to make it 2-0 at the break. After half, Trinity put three goals in the back of the net with Brackin capping her second of the night off of another assist from Doran to make it 3-0 just 22 seconds in.
Kylie Harris (Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point) followed in the 52nd minute off a feed from
Elie Kriek (New Orleans, La. / The Willow School) to extend the Tigers to a 4-0 lead. Hardin-Simmons got on board with a goal in the 60th minute, but Trinity had the final say as
Anna Newland (Kirkwood, Mo. / Kirkwood) capped the scoring in the 89th minute with an assist from
Rowan Hankins (Salt Lake City, Utah / Judge Memorial Catholic) to close out the 5-1 win.
Trinity finished off the undefeated weekend with a 3-1 win over McMurry.
Madisyn Barganski (Corpus Christi, Texas / Flour Bludd) converted two goals on the day with the first one coming in the 13th minute off an assist from
Daryan Willyard (Austin, Texas / Lake Travis) then another in the 46th minute off a feed from
Maggie Hartnett (San, Antonio, Texas / Alamo Heights) and
Elie Kriek (New Orleans, La. / The Willow School). McMurry got on the board in the 75th minute to cut the deficit to 2-1, but
Erin O'Donnell (Southlake, Texas / Carroll) responded just three minutes later off an assist from
Talia Camin (Houston, Texas / Memorial) to cap the scoring at 3-1 on the day.
Preview
The Trinity Tigers will kick off their weekend on Friday, September 25th, at 7:30 PM away at Texas Lutheran University. Less than 48 hours later, they will return home to face St. Thomas University on Sunday, September 27th, at 3:30 PM.
On the Texas Lutheran University Bulldogs: The Bulldogs have been a very familiar opponent for Trinity, with the programs first meeting in 1993. Trinity has never lost in the series, holding a commanding 37-0-1 all-time record, with the lone draw a 0-0 result in 2024. The most recent clash came last season, when Trinity picked up a 3-1 win.
In the 2025 meeting, Barganski opened the scoring in the 30th minute off a feed from
Hanna Khan (Southlake, Texas / Carroll). In the second half, Brackin set up
Bri Werner (Woodbine, Md. / Glenelg) for a one-touch finish in the 56th minute to make it 2-0. The Bulldogs answered in the 60th minute, but Doran sealed the win in the 87th to give the Tigers a 3-1 victory.
Last season, the Bulldogs put together a historic campaign, finishing 12-4-2 overall and 9-0-1 in SCAC play to claim the first regular-season conference title in program history, while the coaching staff earned SCAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors for the first time. Their season ended with a 1-0 loss to Concordia in the SCAC Tournament semifinals, as the Bulldogs conceded in the final 10 minutes despite outshooting the Tornadoes 25-10.
Texas Lutheran lost some key offensive players including SCAC Offensive Player of the Year and United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-Region selection Klarissa Martinez, who led the team in points with six goals and 11 assists and departed as the program's all-time assists leader with 23. All-SCAC First Team selections Callie Bram and Ashley Suarez have also graduated, who were crucial contributors to the Bulldogs 2025 offense. Still, the Bulldogs return seven of their 11 All-SCAC selections.
This season, the Bulldogs are off to a 6-0 start, the best in program history. The highlight came with a 1-0 win over No. 14 California Lutheran, the program's first-ever victory over a ranked opponent. The Bulldogs' most recent win was a 4-0 victory over Howard Payne.
Players to watch: Key contributors for the Bulldogs include senior midfielder and 2025 All-SCAC Second Team selection Natalia Cortez, who leads the team with six goals and one assist; junior midfielder Noelani Ajel, the 2025 SCAC Defensive Player of the Year and a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-Region pick, who has started all six games; and sophomore midfielder Madison Herrera, who has scored three goals on the season.
On the University of St. Thomas Celts: The Celts are a former SCAC opponent for Trinity, and the Tigers hold a perfect 7-0 in the all-time series. The most recent meeting came in 2024, when Werner scored in the 57th minute off an assist from
Michaela Bosco (Weatherford, Texas / Weatherford) to give Trinity a 1-0 win.
Last season, the Celts finished 10-3-4 overall and 7-1-2 in SCAC play before falling 3-0 to Hendrix College in the SCAC Tournament quarterfinals. St. Thomas lost 2025 All-SCAC First Team midfielder Emma Cerda, who tallied one goal and 11 assists but returned 11 of their 12 All-SCAC selections, giving them a young but experienced roster.
The Celts enter the weekend at 2-3-2 in their first season under new head coach Nathan Day and assistant coach Lexington Kneedler. They are coming off a 3-1 win over East Texas Baptist University.
Player to watch: Key contributors for the Celts include senior forward Alexia Richard, who leads the team with three goals; sophomore forward Nicole Cruzco, who has two goals and two assists; and freshman midfielder Ashleyh Ruiz, who has started all seven games and has a goal and an assist.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will open SAA conference play on the road on Tuesday, October 6th at 5:00 PM. They then travel to Kentucky to face Centre College on Sunday, October 11th, at 11:00 AM Eastern Time.
