GEORGETOWN, Texas — For years, Trinity University's women's soccer team has maintained a competitive gap between itself and the rest of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). Southwestern has worked to close the distance between the two programs, breaking through in 2019 by winning a conference title in penalty kicks.
On Sunday, Southwestern showed the gap had closed enough to be within the considerable reach of Hanna Sanderson's powerful leg. The Pirates' senior team captain scored two goals off free kicks to lead the Pirates in a 2-1 upset over the No. 8-ranked Trinity Tigers to end the Tigers' 136-game wins streak in regular-season conference play.
Southwestern withstood an early Trinity barrage in the first half, giving up a single goal amongst an onslaught of 23 shots, including 10 on goal.
The Tigers made the most of a heavy wind at their backs, with gusts of 18 miles per hour blowing at kick-off time. Most of the first half was spent in Southwestern's defensive third with the Pirates unable to spread Trinity's relentless press out due to the wind taking away any threat of a long, direct pass to counter.
Southwestern got a mostly flawless performance from Johnna Campbell, who broke up crosses, corners, and made several diving stops to finish with 12 saves. The Pirates' only blemish on the day came off the foot of Trinity's Molly Sheridan and off the hands of Campbell a little under nine minutes into the game.
Over the final third of the first half, Southwestern slowly started figuring out opportunities and once the teams changed sides after the break, those opportunities turned into goals.
Trinity committed a costly foul early in the second half when a Tiger defender sent a shoulder into an airborne Pirate just outside the box. Sanderson showed her leg strength, rocketing the shot past the Trinity keeper to tie the game 50 minutes into the match.
Less than five minutes later, Sanderson got another free kick on the edge of Southwestern's attacking third, sending a high, booming shot sent into the air off the keeper's hands with the momentum carrying it into the back of the net.
Sanderson scored both Pirate goals and prevented several Trinity opportunities, making a big defensive save on an open net and breaking up at least one other breakaway.
With the win, Southwestern improves to 10-1 this season and 2-0 in conference, handing Trinity its first loss of the season at 9-1-1 with a 3-1-0 conference record. It was Trinity's first regular season conference loss since Nov. 1, 2008.
Southwestern will hit the road next weekend with a Friday game at Centenary, followed by a Sunday contest against St. Thomas.