After winning their final Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference soccer titles in 2024, Trinity’s men’s and women’s soccer are onto a new challenge this season. After starting the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) season undefeated, both teams returned to Paul McGinlay Field on Oct. 11 to take on Centre College. In their first home game in the SAA, the women came out on top, winning 2-0, while the men got their third win in the conference at 5-0.
Women’s Soccer
The women’s team opened their SAA campaign with a 3-0 win over Oglethorpe University on Oct. 3. Their second SAA game was against Berry College on Oct. 5. Despite outshooting the Vikings 23-3, the Tigers were unable to find the back of the net, ending in a 0-0 draw.
“We can’t look at not winning as playing poorly,” Head Women’s Soccer Coach Dylan Harrison said. “We gave ourselves numerous chances. If it wasn’t for the crossbar three times, or their goalkeeper having a great day, we’re talking about how well we played. But we also have to talk about putting teams away, especially when we have the run of it.”
The women’s soccer team was the first of the two Trinity teams to have their SAA home opener on Oct. 11.
“The teams should be excited,” Harrison said. “If we just clean up some of the things that we’ve been working on, we’ll be ready. We’ll be prepared. So it’s an exciting day to be at home.”
While the Tigers didn’t start the game with possession of the ball as they normally do, Trinity’s coaching staff was unfazed.
“We had players who were ready,” Harrison said. “They answered the call. The people that came in helped us flip that switch and made everybody else better.”
Despite Harrison’s substitutions, the Tigers found themselves tied with Centre with halftime approaching. With less than six minutes left in the half, senior defender Ilsa Newland headed home from a corner kick from senior defender Clara Richards to give Trinity the lead.
“We hadn’t really created too much before that goal,” Harrison said. “It changed the momentum. Going up when you haven’t created a ton, it flips the game on its head.”
Newland had never scored a collegiate goal before this season, and now she’s scored four.
“That goal was super important,” Newland said. “For me, to know I’m not just getting goals in games where everyone’s scoring, it was a great feeling.”
After Newland’s goal, the Tigers had more possession in the Vikings’ half of the field. Senior midfielder Bri Werner added to Trinity’s advantage. Just 10 minutes into the second half, Werner took a touch away from a defender in the box, which gave her just enough space to curl a shot into the far top corner. The Tigers stifled any Centre approach from then on to earn the two-goal shutout victory.
“Being in the new conference, it’s like walking into unknown territory,” Newland said. “We’re trying to claim it. When people come and play us at home, they have to know we’re here to win. Getting shutouts, that’s the precedent. It was set years before me. It’s a part of our identity.”
Men’s Soccer
The Trinity men’s team featured in the second game of Oct. 11. At 10-1 on the season coming into their conference home opener, Head Men’s Soccer Coach Paul McGinlay was still finding ways to push his team.
“We’re top five in the country in number of corners,” McGinlay said. “But our productivity has not been high. We’ve got to get more out of dead-ball situations. In tight games, set plays decide it.”
The men’s team had a goal fest against Centre, scoring three goals off of corners and five total from five different players. Junior forward Samuel Theiss, senior midfielder Zach Anderson and senior defender Luke Chandler all scored in the first half, while junior defender Luke Mayfield and first-year midfielder Eduardo Parra scored in the second.
After one touch interplay from a few Tigers in front of their bench, Parra took a deft touch behind the back of a Centre defender, before striking the ball out of the air with the outside of his foot. The ball spun rapidly into the far top corner, curving past the Centre goalkeeper on its way, sending the entire Trinity team sprinting after Parra into the corner.
Both Trinity soccer teams head back on the road next weekend to take on Sewanee on Oct. 18.
*This story has been updated from a previous version with more detailed more coverage.
