The men’s and women’s soccer teams have just wrapped up their 2016 fall seasons. The men exited the playoffs with a 4-0 loss against Kenyon College in the Sweet 16 at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, while the girls finished with a 1-0 loss against Washington University, St. Louis in the Elite 8.
Going into the first round of NCAA playoffs the men were ranked No. 3 in the nation. The first round went very smoothly for the Tigers, as they took home a 3-0 win against Whitworth. First-year Brady Johnson scored the first goal against Whitworth, followed by a goal from sophomore Ryan Hunter in the second half. The last shot was put away with only four minutes left by senior Todd Edwards, securing the game and a spot in the second round.
The boys flew through the second round with a 2-0 win against Chapman University. The game started with a scoreless first half as the Tigers struggled to score against the Chapman goalie. In the second half, the game-winning goal was scored by junior Daniel Ruano in the 48th minute. Sophomore Austin Michaelis followed close behind, scoring the second goal. This marked Michaelis’s 11th goal of the season, a team best. This match also marked the boy’s 14th shutout of the season.
The boys ran into trouble in the next round, where they were eliminated by No. 5 Kenyon College in a 4-0 upset. They ended the season with a 22-2-0 record. Their trip to the NCAA playoffs is still significant, as it marks their 15th consecutive appearance, which remains the longest streak in the NCAA. Despite not becoming national champs, the men had a strong season and worked hard to improve themselves as individuals and as a unit. Despite the loss, the team remains close.
“The Trinity men’s soccer team is a family, that’s the easiest way to put it. While there are several moving parts, when one teammate puts their arm around another and works hard for their success, the attitude is contagious. Luckily, we have a group of guys that are willing to fight for eachother, pick each other up when we’re down, and fight for each other. When everyone on the team acts like this, the group cohesiveness comes naturally,” said senior defender Zac Treu.
The women’s soccer team also had a very successful season. They too took home a conference championship, a major aspiration of theirs, and remained undefeated throughout the regular and conference season.
“Being undefeated was a major goal of ours this year and every year, especially since we played so many good teams, that should give us a lot of focus and confidence going forward,” said junior forward Julia Camp.
The women’s soccer team proceeded into the NCAA tournament ranked at No. 2. They flew threw the first two rounds with a 2-1 win against Mount Union University in the first round, and a 3-1 win against Hanover University to win the second round, progressing to the Round of 16.
The girls blanked Pennsylvania St. Berk 2-0 in the Sweet 16, pushing them to the Elite 8. Unfortunately, the girls were stopped there by No. 8 Washington University. With a close 1-0 loss, the girls concluded their season. Despite the loss, they could feel proud of being entirely undefeated up until that point, and finishing the season with a 23-1-0 record.
“Our major goals were to win conference and work hard every week to improve. We took one game at a time and accomplished those goals. We didn’t quite get as far in the NCAA tournament as we had hoped, but we had great success otherwise,” said senior midfielder Yasmeen Farra. “Being on this team was an amazing way to go through college. It’s allowed me to create friendships that will last much longer than four years and has provided me with impactful people to look up to. I’ve learned an incredible amount from my teammates and coaches.”
The girls finished the season with plenty of individual successes as well. Four of their players, Yasmeen Farra, Julia Camp, Julia Kelly and Collen Markey were chosen for the All-Region team. All four of those girls also made the All-Conference team.
