Season Preview & More

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (August 31, 2018) – The 17th-ranked Trinity University Tigers topped 19th-ranked Rutgers University-Newark, 3-1, in a matchup of nationally-ranked foes to open the 2018 season Friday night in San Antonio.
 
The Tigers scored in the second minute to take the lead and opened a 2-0 margin in the 63rd minute before freshman Joe Alba tallied his first career marker at 71:40.
 
Trinity moves to 1-0-0 on the young season, while the Scarlet Raiders drop to 0-1-0. Rutgers-Newark will square off against Southwestern University Sunday in San Antonio.
 
Friday's matchup featured two of the top programs nationally meeting for the first time. Trinity has made 16-straight national tournaments and the Scarlet Raiders have reached four in five years, advancing to the Elite Eight in 2016 and the second round in 2017.
 
R-N freshman goalkeeper Christian Andrach – making his first career start - made five saves in the opening 45, but the Tigers were able to take a 1-0 lead thanks to a goal just 1:16 into the match.
 
Freshman Pape Taha took the first Scarlet Raider bid of the season 2:01 in and he also put a shot on target in the 10th minute.
 
The Tigers held a 13-6 margin in shots the opening period, with each side generating a trio of corners.
 
Trinity controlled possession and the run of play in the early stages of the second half, racking up three shots, but the Scarlet Raiders came back and generated their own momentum shortly thereafter.
 
The team's went end-to-end for the next few minutes, but the hosts pocketed an insurance goal when junior Jacob Galan tallied following a pair of Tiger blocked shots.
 
Alba's first career score came in the 72nd minute, slicing the Tiger lead in half and flipping the momentum in favor of the guests. Unfortunately, the hosts were able to regain the upperhand 1:49 later, opening a two-goal edge with just 16:31 left in regulation.
 
Junior Bryan Rodrigues put a shot on target with five minutes left and Newark generated a pair of late corners as well, fighting valiantly until the final whistle.
 
Trinity ended the contest with a 23-11 edge in shots and an 8-4 margin in shots on goal. The Scarlet Raiders finished with a 6-3 advantage in corners.