On Nov. 1, Trinity soccer’s regular season came to a close with two programs hoisting trophies. With the prize of a conference championship up for grabs on Nov. 9, both teams claimed regular season titles by finishing in first place in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA). Trinity won the titles in victories over a familiar opponent, Southwestern University, who joined the SAA this season alongside Trinity.
With both Southwestern and Trinity holding perfect 6-0 records, the men’s game held the bearings of a tournament final: to the victor went the trophy. In the case of a tie on Saturday night, though, there would be no overtime. Instead, the trophy would travel to Georgetown, as Southwestern held the tiebreaker with a better conference goal differential.
No. 14 Southwestern earned that rank by relying on physicality and set pieces. Considering the Pirates only needed a draw, they were well-positioned to let Trinity possess the ball, defend tirelessly and strike from a dead ball or counter. That strike came in the 31st minute, when a Trinity back pass went slightly astray. Southwestern sophomore midfielder Daniel Sartorio picked off the pass and accelerated between Trinity defenders with his first touch before finishing the chance.
“We have the ball 70-30 for the first half hour,” Head Coach Paul McGinlay said. “Then we commit an uncharacteristic defensive mistake. Now, Southwestern have got an hour to play, only need a tie, and they’re one-nil up. But we didn’t press the panic button.”
Less than five minutes before halftime, with the ball pinballing in midfield, junior midfielder Jason Sukow sent a clearance high into the San Antonio night. As the ball landed, Southwestern’s defense slid in to try and keep it away from Trinity. However, the ball fell right into the path of first-year midfielder Max Salinas, who scooped it up and drove into Southwestern’s box. Salinas rolled the ball back across the face of the goal into the path of onrushing junior midfielder Finnegan Saunders, who passed the ball into the net for his first collegiate goal.
With 20 minutes gone in the second half, senior midfielder Adam Knutson took on Southwestern’s whole defense on his own. While his weaving dribble run didn’t lead to him scoring, it did lead to Southwestern fouling him in the box, giving the Tigers a chance to take the lead with a penalty kick. With the pressure of a penalty and a potential trophy, junior midfielder and captain Samuel Theiss stepped up to take it.
“To be honest, I didn’t feel the pressure on the pen,” Theiss said. “A lot of that came down to mental preparation throughout the day. Being the penalty taker, I have to think of that stuff, like where I’m going to place it.”
Theiss placed it high to the right, giving Trinity the 2-1 lead. With 25 minutes left to hold onto that advantage, junior goalkeeper Jayden Schell stepped up and prevented Southwestern from taking the Tigers’ moment.
“Jayden was incredible,” Theiss said. “We said in the post game huddle, he was the MVP of the match. His presence in the air, coming out to claim and punch balls, he was excellent.”
For McGinlay, it’s another year, a new conference, but the same story. The team lost only one of 23 last year and one of 16 this year. They’ve gone back-to-back years without a conference loss, despite changing conferences. But McGinlay refused to take the credit.
“The game is at all times in the hands of the players,” McGinlay said. “We get everyone’s best game. The margins are small. What makes us marginally better is that we have marginally better players.”
While the men’s team needed a win on Saturday night, the undefeated women entered Saturday knowing that a tie against the 2-2-2 Pirates would be enough to win the regular season title. But just before kickoff, the final whistle blew in Sewanee’s loss to Centre College, clinching the trophy for the Tigers.
The Southwestern game still had to be played, and the Tigers were scoreless at halftime despite controlling possession. The Tigers showed their stripes in the second half, though, as goals from sophomore forward Alex Doran and senior defender Ilsa Newland concluded the Tigers’ undefeated SAA debut. With the shutout, the Tigers finished the season without allowing a single goal at home in conference play, and only one goal total in the SAA regular season.
Throughout the season, the Tigers found themselves possessing the ball for large streches but failing to score in the first half. Early in conference play, the team often tied those games, but in the second half of the season, they got the goals they needed to win.
“Our consistent pressure and ability to make changes while that pressure continues, it wears on teams,” Harrison said. “We stay calm, knowing that we’re doing the right things, but still have that sense of urgency, so whenever that opportunity comes, we take advantage.”
As the team goes into the postseason, that remains core to Harrison’s message.
“We’ve done so much of the hard work on the front end,” Harrison said. “So let’s go get the rewards that we deserve.”
Next item on the list for both programs is the SAA Conference Championship. Both teams play semifinal matchups on Nov. 7 before potential finals on Nov. 9, with the men playing in Georgetown, Texas and the women in Memphis, Tenn.
*This story has been updated from a previous version with more detailed coverage.
