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No. 2 TRINITY INTERNATIONAL TROJANS (13-2-2) vs. No. 6 SAINT FRANCIS SAINTS (9-9)
Wednesday, November 12 | 1:00 p.m.
Schartner Field | Deerfield, Ill. | CCAC Tournament Semifinal
Quick Notes
• Trinity International survives and advances in the 2014 CCAC Tournament, moving on to the final four with a Wednesday afternoon matchup with the 6th-seeded St. Francis Saints. Kickoff against USF at Schartner Field is set for 1:00 p.m., with a livestream available at TIUTrojans.com/TIUSportsNetwork.
• The Trojans wrapped up the No. 2 seed in the conference tourney, with a 5-1 win at Holy Cross to wrap up the regular season.
• Junior forward Samantha Yasatan is the CCAC leader in goals scored, with 29 this season, setting a new TIU single-season record in the process.
• Trinity has averaged 3.59 goals per match this season, most in the CCAC, and the 8th-highest average in the NAIA. Defensively, the Trojans have allowed 1.24 goals per match, good for 4th in the CCAC.
• St. Francis has averaged 2.56 goals per game, good for 3rd in the conference. The Saints have given up 1.78 goals per match, the 6th-lowest total in the CCAC.
Last Time Out
• Junior Morgan Elzinga scored her 7th game-winning goal of the season in the 39th minute, giving Trinity International enough to advance with a 1-0 win over Cardinal Stritch in the CCAC Tournament quarterfinals.
• Samantha Yasatan assisted on the lone goal of the match, while senior goalkeeper Liz Burzynski collected six saves in her fifth shutout of the season.
• The Trojans managed to outshoot the Wolves 13-8 in the win, and got in front of their opponents early, after surrendering the first goal in their last three matches before coming back to win all three contests.
In the Polls
• With their current eight-match win streak, the Trojans will find out on Tuesday afternoon if they can crack the NAIA Coaches Poll. TIU has 127 points in the latest poll, essentially placing 26th in the national rankings, just seven points shot of earning a national rank.
• The Trojans rank 35th in the latest Modified RPI Rankings, which determine the seeding and at-large berths for the NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship. The final MRPI rankings will be announced Nov. 16.
• TIU started the season ranked No. 25 in the NAIA Preseason Coaches Poll, and moved up to No. 22 before falling out following a draw at Trinity Christian, and loss at Olivet Nazarene in early October. The earlier ranking gives the Trojans their third straight campaign in which they were nationally ranked at some point during the season.
• The Trojans finished off last season as a nationally-ranked program, finishing the year at No. 25, after their late postseason run through the CCAC Tournament and into the NAIA Opening Round.
• The Trojans kept their spot in the NCCAA Top 10 national rankings, released on Tuesday, at No. 4. TIU earned 40 points in the poll, and are the highest-ranked program from the North Central Region.
Stat Leaders
Team Stats
• As a team, Trinity International not only leads the CCAC with an average of 3.59 goals per match, but also rank 8th nationally in the NAIA. TIU has a conference-high 61 goals on the season, good for 10th in the NAIA
• TIU also leads the league in assists per game, averaging 3.12 per match. The team ranks 4rd in the NAIA, and 6th nationally with 53 total assists.
• The Trojans currently average the third-fewest fouls per match, at 7.24, just behind Calumet St. Joseph and Purdue-Calumet. TIU is also the only program in the CCAC with just two yellow cards this season.
• Defensively, the Trojans average 1.24 goals allowed per game, the fourth-lowest average in the CCAC. The team's goals-against average of 1.19 also ranks fourth in the league, but Trojan goalkeepers have been fairly quiet, averaging just 4.29 saves per match, the second-lowest average in the conference.
• Trinity picked up its fifth shutout of the season, becoming just the third CCAC program with five clean sheets; Trinity Christan and Olivet Nazarene lead the league with eight shutouts apiece this year.
Individual Stats
• Samantha Yasatan has been one of the strongest offensive players in the nation this season, and ranks 1st in the CCAC in five different statistical categories. The junior tops the conference in shots taken per game (5.47), points (63) and points average (3.71), goals, (29) and goals average (1.71). Yasatan also ranks 2nd in the CCAC in total shots, with 93.
• Yasatan sits 2nd in the NAIA in goals per game, 2nd in points per game, 3rd in total goals, 3rd in total points, 5th in shots on goal per game (3.29), and 7th in shots per game.
• Melissa Loretto and Morgan Elzinga have been just as dynamic in the Trojan attack; the duo rank 1st and 2nd in total assists in the CCAC, with 15 and 12, respectively. Loretto & Elzinga also sit 1st and 2nd nationally in the NCCAA. Both players are among the top six in the NAIA as well, with Loretto just one assist behind the national leader.
• Elzinga has recorded seven game-winning goals, and has picked up the game-winner in 41% of all matches this season, the third-highest percentage in the NAIA. Her seven game-winners ranks 4th nationally, and is tied for 1st in the CCAC. Elzinga is also tied for 4th in the CCAC in total goals, scoring 12 so far this year.
• Goalkeeper Liz Burzynski has the CCAC's fourth-best goals against average, at 1.12. Her save percentage of .793 ranks 5th in the conference.
Scouting the Opponents
St. Francis
• The Saints earned the No. 6 seed in the CCAC Tournament, after a 6-5 conference record. USF came into the tourney on a two-game losing streak, but bounced back with a 2-1 upset at Trinity Christian in the CCAC Tournament quarterfinal.
• Three key offensive threats lead the Saints; Liceth Robles has collected ten goals on the season, good for 8th in the CCAC, while adding in six assists, tied for 9th-most in the conference. Leslie Rueda has eight goals, cracking the top 10 in the league, while Alex Truhlar has 10 assists, ranking 4th in the CCAC.
• Trinity has won the last eight meetings with St. Francis, dating back to 2007, including this season's 3-1 win earlier this month at Schartner Field.
Good Sports
• Last season, the Trinity International women's soccer team earned their third-straight CCAC Karl Boeck Conference Champions of Character Team Award. The team honor goes to the squad that displays the best sportsmanship throughout the season in the CCAC.
• Currently, Trinity is one of two programs with the longest streak without a red card in the CCAC, and along with Trinity Christian, have gone five full seasons since seeing one of their players sent off.
