SCAC Conference Champs

We returned from a fairly arduous trip through the midwest against the #2 and #3 team in the SCAC going into the final weekend of the regular season. As the top team through the first eight conference matches, the target on us would prove to be sizable but we would not fall in the end.

On Friday evening, the first half of play would include chances but little danger in either direction. The second half of the match would start slow for us, enabling them to put some pressure on our back line. Just under an hour into the match, a shot would inadvertently deflect off a defender's arm, creating a goal-scoring opportunity for the home side that they would capitalize on. Six minutes later, Katy would slip between two defenders and take her opportunity off the far post....Abby was just alert enough to read the bounce across the face of the goal and secure the equalizer with a single touch. A few minutes later, Abby again would take a ball, this time near the edge of the D and smack one past the outstretched keeper and off the inside of the far stanchion to put us in the lead. With just over ten minutes to play, Jordan dropped a nice ball in behind their back line to Katy who would tuck one away to make the game 3-1. 90 minutes would end giving us the three points and a chance to play on Sunday against Centre for the conference championship and the AQ to the NCAA's.

Sunday was and absolutely stunning day in Kentucky providing a fantastic setting to win a championship. There was so much riding on the match with it being Senior Day as well as the final match of the regular season and the post-season berth on the line. The game was not pretty, but Abby's goal was magic!! Scoring her third goal in two matches, she took a throw-in off a bounce and crushed it off the underside of the bar and into the goal for the game winner. That was all that we would need on the day and all we would get, though both sides saw good scoring opportunities.

Off to the NCAA's........

-LK

Interest Pieces

This week Katy Garrett has been named the SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week. Katy helped a team that allowed only 6 shots from the two opposing teams over the weekend, recording two shutouts. As a team, Trinity Soccer has allowed just one goal in over 800 minutes of play and has not conceded in the past 300+ minutes.



Additionally, Trinity Soccer has inched up another spot in this weeks national polls registering the #6 spot in the NSCAA and D3Soccer.com voting.

Trinity -v- Oglethorpe

Sunday's match was against a much improved conference side from Oglethorpe. This was the last of the regular season home matches for our seniors and it would be important to get a result. We were able to manage that with a 2-0 win taking us to 24 points through 8 conference matches. Our rhythm was off though through most of the match, and they had come to play with an enthusiasm that matched their overall improvement. Jordan would get the game winner on the day with Lauren getting a touch on a ball that bounced around off a corner to push it to the final margin. Katy would record both assists on the day to the two seniors. Overall the game was a difficult one on many layers. We'll be regrouping and refocusing this week in preparation for our final regular season weekend away to DePauw and Centre. A conference championship is on the line as well as a tournament berth. We're looking for quality in our play more than anything at this stage...and if we play well, we'll give ourselves a good chance to get results.

Senior Night

On Friday evening we celebrated the careers of 4 outstanding seniors as they began their final regular season weekend at home. Below is a copy of the script read by THE Voice of the Tigers, James Hill:


LINDSEY NEUBAUER—Lindsey Neubauer is a Senior transfer from Farmington, New Mexico by way of Texas Lutheran University. Before arriving on Trinity’s campus this fall, Lindsey was the Freshman-of-the-year and a two-time All-Conference Player as well as a team captain for her previous team. As a Trinity Soccer player, Lindsey has started 3 matches this year and played in 11, tallying 1 goal and 3 assists for 5 points. Lindsey is pursuing her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in Management.


LAUREN FOLKMAN—Lauren Folkman is a Senior from Albuquerque, New Mexico. In her senior season, Lauren has served as a team captain and started 11 of the 12 games she has played in providing one assist. She has played an important role in a defensive effort that has conceded only 8 goals on the year. Lauren will be graduating in the spring with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, concentrating on Marketing and Finance. Lauren has participated in the Student Managed Fund and European Union Program. She also is a member of the Blue Key Honor Society, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, The National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Trinity University Dean’s List. Lauren has also been selected to the SCAC Student-Athlete Academic Honor Roll in each of her first three years.


DANIKA WRIGHT—Danika Wright is a senior from Alpine, Utah. Danika is serving as a team captain for her second straight year. In this, her senior season, she has started and played in all 14 games registering 4 goals and 1 assist for 9 points, while helping defensively to record a 0.57 Goals Against Average. Danika is a candidate for a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an Accounting concentration. She also plans to pursue her Masters degree in Accounting immediately following her May graduation. Danika has served for the Trinity University Volunteer Action Community while on campus. She is also a member of Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society and The National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She has been an SCAC Student Athlete Academic Honor Roll recipient. Danika has been recognized as a 1st Team SCAC All-Conference player in her sophomore and Junior seasons as well as last year’s SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-year. She was also voted as a 1st Team Scholar All-American AND an NSCAA 1st Team All-American for the 2009 season.


JORDAN AZAR—Jordan Azar is a senior Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jordan also serves as a team captain for the 2010 team. Jordan has started all 14 games thus far this season notching 5 goals and 6 assists for 16 points. In the classroom, Jordan is pursuing a double-major with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. Jordan has participated with the Trinity University Volunteer Action Community as well as being a member of Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society. Jordan has been an All-SCAC honoree in each of her first 3 years as in addition to a member of the SCAC Student Athlete Academic Honor Roll. Last year, Jordan was selected as an NSCAA Scholar All-American.

We were hosting Sewanee, who we had beaten by a large margin for the conference championship in 2009. We knew it would be a tough match and we were prepared to have to battle and earn a result. Our predictions were true. It would take us an hour to finally break them down for a quality goal-scoring opportunity after having surrendered only a couple to them through that point. Jordan threaded a fantastic ball for Kelly who was able to bury it for a 1-0 lead. Jordan yet again would find Abby shortly thereafter to stretch the margin to 2. The match would end there and we would garner 3 important conference points to stay at the top of the league table. Sunday would come quickly and would mark perhaps the final time in 2010 that we would play a home match.

-LK

On the UP AND UP

Trinity Soccer reaches #7 in both National polls this week.






The Trinity University Women's Soccer Team has climbed two spots in both the NSCAA and D3Soccer.com national polls from 9th to 7th.

Trinity -v- Chapman

Friday night marked the opening of the 2010 Alumni Weekend for Trinity University Soccer. It would be the only match scheduled for the weekend and was a great way to kick things off for the current team as well as the former players that were able to return. Former Trinity Soccer players returned from the 1980's, 1990's and the 2000's to watch us put on a show.

We knew going into the game that it would represent an important opportunity to experience a tournament-like competitive environment. A West region matchup against a team who is likely to earn an NCAA tournament berth this post-season would prove to be a good test this time of the year as we prepare to wind down the regular season and hopefully wind-up for what lies beyond.

The week of training had gone pretty well, starting off with a grueling session with Paul S. to evaluate our mid-season fitness as it compares to pre-season. We also spent a good deal of time ensuring our abilities to pass and receive stayed sharp and focusing on our decision making under pressure.

As we took the first possession under the lights, we showed an immediate presence. We imposed our will on the game immediately, yet came up empty after a handful of good opportunities. It seemed to be only a matter of time, and thankfully Kelly ensured it wouldn't require too much to tick away. She made a fantastic turn off a feed from Tara just 12 minutes into the match, splitting a couple of defenders and drawing the keeper. With great composure, she would tuck it inside the far post for her 10th goal of the campaign. The match would continue to tilt in our favor, but it wasn't until the 33rd minute that Abby would convert a chance into a goal that would push her to 11 on the year. Kelly's effectiveness provided yet another assist for the record books. We would go into half-time with an uncomfortable 2-0 lead, knowing it could have and should have been more, but pleased with the general quality that we were getting.

The second half began with a complexion much like that of the first half and would only require seven minutes before Abby would turn and run at their back line and slip Shelby into the box for a clinical finish to make it 3-0. Just seven minutes later, Tara would provide another assist, this time playing a little first-time ball to Danika off a possession change. Danika took a great first touch and smacked a ball from 20 yards out to put things further out of reach. If the scoring had stopped there, Danika would likely have had a goal of the night candidate, but Katy found a ball in the 72nd minute on the right-hand side cutting in, and absolutely crushed a ball off the inside of the far top corner ricocheting back to the opposite side-netting to make it 5-0.

We got great minutes from the majority of the roster which proved beneficial on many levels. We are continuing to press our collective envelope...striving to get better with each day. This week's training will be preparing us for our final regular season home weekend for four seniors with conference matches against Sewanee and Oglethorpe. These matches are critical for us to keep pressing for the Conference championship. Rest assured, our focus is on Friday night...

-LK

ALUMNI WEEKEND

Welcome back all alumni!! We'd also like to honor the members of the 2000 team that reached the NCAA Final 4 on this the 10th Anniversary!! Thanks for setting a higher standard!!


C'mon all you Alums...come back and watch your little sisters get after it on Friday night under the lights as we play host to Chapman in an important West Region matchup. Before and during the match, we will be heightening awareness of breast cancer and will be taking donations to support the Susan G. Komen Foundation and their ongoing effort to Find a Cure! The team will be wearing pink during warm-up to honor all those who have been effected by breast cancer, either first-hand or through someone we love. We ALL can make a difference!! Please join us in our effort.

Drawing Attention...

The Trinity Soccer team continued yet again to climb the polls this week to #9. It's always nice to be ranked in October, but we know the Final Ranking in December is the only one that matters...

Also, Junior Forward Abigail Loar has been recognized for the second time in three weeks as the SCAC Player-of-the-week for her 3 goals and 4 assists in the two weekend matches.

As a side note...teammate and classmate Kelly Watts is keeping pace recording three goals and an assist herself. Both players are neck and neck as they have been for much of the past three years. Together, they are quite the handful for opposition.















Defensively, after some early season woes, Katie and the backline have been awfully stingy...allowing only one goal in the past 6 games.




As a team, we remain humble and renew our commitment daily to getting better and reaching a consistency of high quality.

-LK

Trinity -v- BSC

The second half of the SCAC Weekend kicked off at noon on Sunday against a Birmingham Southern side that had experienced some mixed results up to that point. We knew we would be in for a competitive match and it would be very important to establish ourselves early.

Kelly was excited to display her sense of urgency as she was incredible from the start with pressuring backs and running at them. She took a throw-in on a quick turn at the edge of the final third in front of our bench, split two defenders and buried one to the far post. Everyone was in slow motion and she was in fast-forward! What a start!! Not long after, in the 17th minute, Jordan served in a corner where Abby would challenge in the air...the ball got up and then back down to Lindsay's feet at the near post where she'd quickly slip it through the traffic of players and into the net. The pressure would begin to subside as the half went on. We gave up a few counters in the last bit of the half and with two seconds remaining on the clock, they would find space to serve to the feet of their forward, evade a couple of tackles and tuck one inside the far post just before the half. So now a 2-0 game in fifteen minutes turns into a 2-1 game at halftime...to no surprise, we all were very disappointed and they all of a sudden felt like they were in the game.

We knew we had to tidy things up in midfield and make sure if we lost the ball that we organized quickly and stopped forward service. We needed better starting positions at the back, and up front we had to be dangerous.

Going into the second half, the theme of urgency came back to us and Abby would streak in from the weak side to finish off a double assist fro m Lindsey and Katy to give us some breathing room at 3-1. That proved to be all we would need and all we would get in so far as goals. We created some good chances but did not capitalize on them, but perhaps more importantly, we didn't surrender a single shot in the second half.

We were thrilled to conclude the weekend with another 6 points in conference. The coming week will bring a break from conference play. We will be welcoming all Alumni of the program for a single match Friday evening against Chapman (CA) for a very important regional match. The weekend will be a celebration of the past and present with a special recognition of the 2000 team that made the first ever Final 4 for Trinity Soccer. Welcome Back Trinity Soccer Alumni!!

-LK

Friday Night Lights

Friday night started off another home weekend against conference opponents Millsaps and Birmingham Southern. We had been training throughout the week with Millsaps on our mind as they would be the first team we would face. While we intend to keep perspective of preparing for the upcoming match on our schedule, the primary focus is one of readying ourselves for our game and standard.

6 pm came and the whistle blew...it wouldn't take us too long to find the back of the net as Abby battled into the box drawing defenders and slotted Lindsey on a little overlap. Unfortunately, we would not have much more to say about the first half of play other than a large amount of the possession and a few half-chances. There was a call for a lift of energy and quality during the second half and that is exactly what would transpire.

Danika found some space near the top of the box and smashed one by the keeper in the second minute of the second half. A little over three minutes later, Abby found Kelly for the third goal of the game. 26 SECONDS later, Abby would take a feed from Jordan and claim a goal of her own. Kelly returned the favor to Abby nine minutes after Abby's first goal as she assisted her second tally. The trade-off would continue a couple minutes later as Kelly claimed her second goal of the match and Abby notched her third assist. Abby nearly had a "hat" full of assists AND goals, but the Millsaps goalkeeper made a nice save to prevent the double-triple. with under five minutes to go, Hannah snuck into the mouth of the goal and took a couple of redirects to score the extra point of the night taking the count to seven.

With the previous year's result being 1-0, we were pleased with our offensive production, as well as holding them without a single shot. We expected Birmingham Southern to be a tougher test on Sunday and were going to need to refocus rather quickly.

-LK

Conference Recognition

Two more Trinity Soccer players are recognized by the conference office for their performances over the past week.

Jenny White and Jordan Azar were selected as the Defensive and Offensive Players-of-the-Week in Conference. Jenny helped provide a defensive presence that allowed only four shots in three matches without surrendering a goal in that span. Jordan notched two goals and two assists during that same time to garner her recognition, leading a barrage of offensive production that included 14 goals in three matches.

















Jenny and Jordan join Allyson Thrall and Abigail Loar as the Tiger contingent to be recognized this season as top performers in conference.

The Rise Continues

Another three wins lifts the Trinity Soccer Team a few more notches in this weeks National rankings.

Trinity is still on the outside looking into the top 10 from the #11 spot.

Trinity cracked the top 10 again this season after the early season set-back. The Tigers are ranked 10th in this weeks poll.

Trinity Soccer Family

Reflecting back upon the last several days brings about a sense of excitement, amazement, gratitude and pride for what Trinity Soccer has evolved into. Trinity Soccer Friends and Family weekend is an annual event where friends and family come from all over to celebrate our current players as they play host to two opponents, but it also serves as our Family Reunion of sorts, complete with a Saturday night reception and celebration. Family traveled in from near and far, San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Dallas...Kansas, New Mexico, Florida and Washington...Colorado, California and Utah, New York by way of Costa Rica...even South Africa!

Friday night's match-up was against University of Dallas, who will be joining the conference in 2011 with the departure of Depauw. The girls got started fairly quickly as Abby took a ball from Kelly and buried one past the keeper. Not long later, Jordan was able to find the back of the net followed by Abby's second finish of the night just before the half-hour mark of the first half. Shelby then made it 4-0 jut before the end of the half, tallying her third goal of her first collegiate season. The second half had a much slower start to it, but Abby would bag a third goal in the 76th minute for her hat-trick. Sam then closed things out at 6-0 off a double assist from Kristina and Kelly in the 83rd. The game ended up being one way traffic throughout and it was a nice way to start the weekend in front of our families with every rostered player contributing time on the field for the win.

Saturday evening's reception was exceptional. Dinner. Video presentations. Family Photos. Senior recognition. 300 attendees. 63 players. Two teams. One Family. It amazes me every year. We all are so blessed to be a part of this incredible legacy. Truly priceless.



Sunday afternoon would prove to be more of a test, as AC came to town with an identical record to ours at 9-1. The previous two years it took us over 100 minutes to finally take the win and we were determined to make this year a different storyline. The first half, however showed a game played between the 18 yard boxes with neither team being particularly threatening, and nobody looking to take risks...consequently...2 shots to 1 through 45 minutes. The second half started off better as we seemed to have a more aggressive temperament. A few tactical changes as well as some positional changes gave us a new complexion and it would prove positive in the end. Katy would break in a few times behind the back line, but it would be a variation that would create our first goal off a ball from Jordan to break the seal in the 76th minute. Kelly then notched one in the 85th off a nice little ball from Valerie to end the match at 2-0. We would pressure far more tallying 10 shots in the final stanza to our opponent's zero.

In all, a fantastic weekend with another two wins and an important three points in conference to try and keep pace with the top conference performers to date. This weekend brings two more conference teams to Trinity.

Stay tuned....

-LK

Monday Night Football

Our return home....

Monday night marked only our second match of the year at home. UMHB would come to our field after a tropical storm forced an early date to postponement, but this night would be a beautiful fall evening in South Texas. Just over a quarter of an hour into the match, Lindsay would take a ball out of the air from Danika with a very lengthy touch to loft it over the reach of the goalkeeper for her second goal in as many matches. Kelly would find the back of the net just prior to the half-hour mark off an assist from Shelby. The first half would expire at 2-0 in spite of us taking 20 shots. To start the second half, Kristina would strike within the second minute off of Lauren's assist. Katy would find the scoresheet next off a combination from Jordan and Lindsey in midfield, and then Jordan followed that up with a goal of her own which was the goal of the night after Abby slipped a ball across the six. Abby finished things off to make it 6-0 thanks to Valerie setting her up right in front of goal. This marked 11 goals in two matches at home to date and would be the start of a long home stand leading into the rest of October. Good to be home!!

-LK

Preparation continues...

Another road match to finish out the long first half of the season would prove to be favorable for our squad. Away to Southwestern where we had previously lost 2 years prior was our last road match to end a long stretch of away games during the first half of the season. he match was the 7th of 8 games played thus far this season on the road. Also a conference fixture, we were clear that no matter what, we had to come away with a full three points to stay up with the top teams in conference. Several other teams have really put together a great first half of the 2010 campaign and in order to give ourselves the best chance at tournament play, you absolutely cannot drop points...home or away.

The match would start with us controlling much of the play and the flow of the game. We looked dangerous right away, but continued to struggle with consistency of the final ball. Several good opportunities were squandered just before they become great chances...and consequently...no bulging of the back of the net...UNTIL Abby broke free across the face of the back line to find Kelly who cleverly redirected a ball into Katy's path who then buried one past the keeper to break the seal.


The rest of the first half would look very similar to the time prior to the goal...possession, opportunity but not really many chances.

The second half actually lost a little fizz although we would find the net twice more before the match concluded. Tara snuck in behind on the right side and first-timed a great ball to Lindsay on the back post who sent it back where it came from and tucked nicely into the side-netting off her head. The last one came as Lauren freed herself about 25 yards out on the right hand side and drove a ball low and hard towards the back post where Kelly would force the ball and her defender into the near side of the net just inside the post.

We still are looking to break out...we've had some great moments and some not-so-great moments thus far, as all teams do, but we continue to strive toward a higher standard.

-LK

Climbing the Rankings

The Trinity Soccer team continues to get results and climbs the National rankings again this week.

Trinity is ranked 14th in this weeks D3Soccer.com weekly national coaches poll, up two spots from last week.

Trinity is ranked 12th in this weeks NSCAA weekly national coaches poll, up three spots from last week.

Trinity-Hendrix; Sept., 24, 2010

6 Points Down in Conference

The match against Rhodes was one we knew would be a battle. We lost for the first time in program history two years prior on the very same field, though it was under water last time. We stood stunned in 2008 as the game ended and the opposing coach ran out into the middle of the field into a head first slide as he joined the team in celebration....something none of us there on that day would ever forget.

The match started at a frantic pace. Neither side displayed much composure nor created much quality soccer. It seemed more like a tennis match than a soccer match with many possession changes and lots of long strikes with none of them finding the net. Tara went on as a sub and created some difficulty for their outside back that would eventually result in a goal. Abby broke free from the left hand side of the attacking 1/3 moving right. She drew numbers and slotted Tara in on a little diagonal where she had time and space to finish. The game would go into the half at 1-0.

The second half would start off with some sustained pressure for us going forward. Finally after 20-odd corners over the weekend we'd convert as Jordan dropped a nice ball off Abby's foot for what would be the game-winner. The game lost it's quality again and would stay that way through the final whistle that was beaten out by a counter-attack goal after a combination of poor attacking and even worse defending on our part. The 89th minute showed Trinity 2-Rhodes 0. Fifteen seconds later Rhodes added a confidence boost with a late goal to end the game 2-1.

We were pleased with six points in conference away from home far more than with how we accumulated the last three in Memphis. With that said, we'll put it behind us and look forward to the 7th of 8 games thus far this season on the road away to Southwestern...another environment where we saw ourselves drop a match last time we were there.

-LK

Conference Opener

What an absolutely beautiful setting for our conference opener of the 2010 campaign. The surface was immaculate. The dreary day of rain had transformed into a stunning night. The conversation continued to build and describe our ambitions and standards, but by no means was it going to define us. Conference results are the ones that get you into the tournament or lock you out, and we've been a part of both circumstances...knowing clearly which we prefer.

The pre-game preparation was sound, our focus seemed to be in place. The commitment to our standard was propelling the girls in the right direction.

The match started with loads of possession and space through the middle third, but the dilemma of 18 players in the attacking box is always difficult to manage. The speed of play was a little slower than was prescribed and consequently we were slow to exploit the small spaces and channels. Abby and Kelly looked dangerous, but the game was becoming a lullaby. Finally, twenty minutes in, Abby cut in on a ball from Jordan and snuck one by the keeper to break the seal and put us up 1-0. Getting the first one is so critical against a defensive system, although it usually opens things up a little more than it did. We were committed to press. Less than ten minutes later Jordan would add her own tally with another cracker to the far post. Shortly before the half, Sam would push the third of the day over the keeper to the far post off a header, assisted by Tara and Hannah.

The second half would start very strong. Less than ten minutes in, Jordan served in a corner that was deflected out of the area. Jenny got ahold of it quickly and found Kelly who was able to quickly turn on it and ripple the net for her third goal of the year. Lots of changes were made throughout the match and all our healthy players found some time to impact the result on the day. Abby got in for a quick spell late in the game and converted on her second of the day and the season, nearly notching a third.

In the end, Trinity 5, Hendrix 0. Three points in conference to start off the road trip was what we came for and it was what we took away. Off to Memphis today for a match tomorrow against Rhodes. ...proving to do...

LK

Trinity-UCSC; Sept., 17, 2010