Men’s soccer concludes season with loss to Lynchburg

The no. 1 ranked Tigers lose in the third round of NCAA play

by Brittany Losey

The men’s soccer team ended their season Saturday, Nov. 20 in Delaware, Ohio, after losing to Lynchburg College (Pa.) 2-0 in the third round match of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Men’s Soccer Championship.

“They came into the tournament as an underdog, but they beat Emory at Emory, so we knew it was going to be a competitive game,� said head coach Paul McGinlay. “You don’t arrive in the last 16 by accident. I think our players will be kicking themselves at a missed opportunity.�

The game remained scoreless until the 78th minute when Lynchburg’s Jordan Clark scored an unassisted shot off of a loose ball at the top of the box. A few minutes later, Lynchburg put in another goal to edge ahead further, 2-0. Sophomore goalkeeper Tim Nelin kept a tight goal for most of the game, making three saves in the first half and two more in the second, including a penalty kick attempt.

Junior forward Cameron Hogsett is challenged by a defender as he looks to take the ball down the field.

“It wasn’t that we were outplayed, and it wasn’t that we didn’t have our chances,� McGinlay said. “I think if we had the game back again, the outcome might be different, but you only get one crack at it. It was disappointing to go out to a team we knew we were capable of beating.�

Trinity senior midfielder Clay Middleton, junior forward Cameron Hogsett and junior midfielder Jordan Wade all had two shots on goal each.

“We shouldn’t have lost,� said senior forward Tommy Barros. “We probably should have scored about 5 or 6 goals. I guess we never finished those chances fully. We just couldn’t find that goal.�

This was the ninth consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament for the Tigers. The men’s conference record of 11-0-0 earned them their 14th Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship.
“Our goal was always to win a national championship,� said senior defender Tyler Czinege. “In that sense we didn’t really live up to what our goals were, but at the same time we had a successful season, winning another conference championship.

The team’s accomplishments this season also include being the top-scoring team in Division III, both in total goal scored (86) and goals scored per game (3.91).

The team also was awarded a number of individual awards, with McGinlay being named SCAC Coach of the Year, first year forward Yuri Ribero named SCAC Newcomer of the Year and junior midfielder Zack Garcia named SCAC Offensive Player of the Year. Several other athletes were also named to the All-SCAC First, Second and Third Teams. Czinege was also named to the Entertainment Sports Programming Network All-America Academic First Team.

“We had great leadership on and off the field,� McGinlay said. “We are losing a great senior class. Overall there’s certainly more to be excited about from the season, and also looking ahead to next year we’ve got a strong nucleus coming back that’s going to be highly competitive.�