After 90 minutes that saw two quick goals, a penalty shot and a whole lot of defense, the Tigers beat the Schreiner University Mountaineers 3-0 on Oct. 22.
The Trinity University women’s soccer team returned home to face Schreiner after a successful two game road trip. The women’s team came into McGinlay Field, sporting a 10-1-2 record overall and a 6-0 record in their conference, looking to extend their winning streak of seven games.
Trinity’s offense started quickly, scoring two goals in the first five minutes of the match. Sophomore midfielder Madisyn Barganski scored the first goal off of assists from senior forwards Abby Schneider and Michaela Bosco, putting Trinity on top 1-0. Less than a minute later, Barganski struck again, extending Trinity’s lead to 2-0. Barganski’s two goals made this game her first multi-goal game of the season.
In the 36th minute, junior forward and team captain Hanna Khan substituted into the game. Within the same minute, Schreiner committed a handball foul in the box. Khan successfully took the resulting penalty kick, giving Trinity a 3-0 lead.
The 3-0 Trinity win can be attributed to Schreiner’s rocky few minutes at the beginning of the game and one penalty shot.
Schreiner made adjustments at halftime which helped the team tighten up on defense. After the penalty kick, Schreiner’s goalkeeper Jayden Ford accumulated six saves for the remainder of the game despite the Tigers having 26 shots, 11 of which were shot on goal.
A key highlight for Ford came in the 88th minute when Trinity first-year forward and midfielder Noëlia Berbers took a long range shot that was on target to enter top left corner of the goal. Ford sprung into action, jumping to slightly tip the ball and causing it to bounce off the top of the goal bar and preventing Trinity from scoring a fourth goal.
Khan has scored three goals in the season so far, all of which were produced within the last four games. She attributed her change in production on the pitch to a shift in mentality.
“I’ve stopped focusing on scoring in [and] of itself and more so the little things I have to do in order to give myself opportunities to either score or create chances for my teammates,” Khan said. “Being able to approach it in regards to the steps it takes rather than just thinking about the final output has been really helpful.”
Within the last eight games, Trinity’s offense outscored their opponents 21-1. Schneider currently has five goals on the season and earned her first assist in Trinity’s win against Schreiner.
“No matter [what forwards] you put up top, we have really talented girls who can just go out and … make [playing] fun,” Schneider said. “Just having that energy out there on the field with you is really exciting. It makes you want to produce [and] help your teammates score.”
Dylan Harrison, Trinity women’s soccer head coach, led Trinity to their eighth straight win of the season. Harrison addressed the impact of returning to play at home after a stretch of road games.
“We have great support in terms of parents,” Harrison said. “Being in that environment and knowing that people are there to watch them and cheer them on is rewarding.”
The win on Oct. 22 improves Trinity’s record to 11-1-2, extending their winning streak to eight games. The women’s team travels to Houston to play University of St. Thomas on Friday, Oct. 25. The game will be their last to be played on the road before the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament next month.
