KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) released the 2016 preseason rankings Tuesday, and the Trinity University men were ranked fifth in the nation.
Trinity is the only Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference ranked in the top 25, however Colorado College is receiving votes in the poll.
In 2015, Trinity made it all the way to the Elite 8 before falling to eventual champion Amherst College in a double-overtime battle. They finished the season with a 22-3 record.
The Tigers led the conference in scoring with 67 goals, averaging 2.68 per game. They also added 54 assists for 188 total points. The Trinity scoring was led by 2016 graduate Tom Carwile and first year player Christian Sakshaug, who each posted nine goals on the season to lead the conference. Sakshaug also had seven assists, which ranked second in the nation.
Defensively, the Tigers allowed just nine goals in 25 games, posting a 0.35 goals against average. The goalkeeping staff posting 93 saves, while totaling 18 shutouts on the season.
Trinity will begin the season against Hardin-Simmons University on September 1, before facing the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor on September 5. They will begin conference play against Colorado College on Friday, September 16.
