(Story courtesy of the Trinity University athletics website)
(Photo courtesy of Josh Moczygemba)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The second-ranked Trinity men’s soccer team shut out the University of Texas-Dallas 3-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Championship on Saturday afternoon. Interactive Bracket | Box Score
Trinity (20-2-0) advanced to Sunday’s second round and will host the University of Redlands (CA) at 1:00 p.m. In Saturday's second game, Redlands edged Whitworth (WA) University 3-2 in overtime.
Tiger Head Coach Paul McGinlay was candid when asked about facing either Redlands or Whitworth: "They are not here by accident. They are both very good. I'm glad I still have to go to work now, and scout them."
The next two goals were unassisted, and were both produced by first-year players. Christian Sakshaug scored in the 23rd minute, and Ryan Hunter made it 3-nil for the Tigers in the 66th minute of action. Sakshaug now has accounted for eight goals, and Hunter has six.
"Our attack today was fantastic," said Coach McGinlay. "We got a lot of success from a lot of different players. Just when you needed a first-year like Ryan Hunter to step up, he scores a world-class goal to put the game beyond reach, to 3-0. It was just a great team performance."
Chad Margotta guarded the net for the full 90 minutes, and recorded four saves in the matchup. The Tigers posted their 16th clean-sheet game of the year, and won their 15th consecutive contest.
The game differed when the two teams met September 13 at UT-Dallas, with Trinity taking a 2-1 overtime decision. The Comets completed their season with a 15-4-3 record. The winner of Sunday’s game will advance next week to the round of 16, with the site to be determined.