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This Week    
 • Trinity International kicks off the 2015 men's soccer season this Wednesday, when the Trojans begin a two-match homestand by welcoming the Missouri Baptist Spartans at Schartner Field beginning at 3:00 p.m. Trinity will then play host to the Concordia (Mich.) Cardinals over the weekend, with a Saturday kickoff set for 5:00 p.m. as part of a men's and women's doubleheader, before heading north to take on the Concordia (Wisc.) Falcons on Monday, September 7.
 • Live coverage of both home matches will be available along with live stats, at TIUTrojans.com. Concordia-Wisconsin will have live stats and an audio broadcast of Monday's match, at CUWFalcons.com.

Last Time Out    
 • Trinity struggled over the final few weeks of the 2014 season, going winless in their last seven matches to close out the season. However, a new-look TIU squad for this season that includes 17 new Trojans have been competitive in the pre-season.
• Trinity battled College of Lake County (Ill.) to a 2-2 draw over three 45-minute periods last month, before giving up two tough goals to the NCAA Division III national runners-up Wheaton (Ill.), also over a combined 135 minutes.

Key Returners    
 • The Trojans return three of their top-four goal scorers from a year ago, in senior Erik Yamane, junior Zach Reget, and sophomore Wes Ditchfield.
 • Last season, Reget was named to the NCCAA All-North Central Region Team. The Kenosha, Wisc. native ranked 25th nationally in the NCCAA with an average of 0.53 goals per game, and was among the top ten in the CCAC in both points and goals scored.
 • Three midfielders in Noah Smith (16 starts last season), Brett Robinson (15), and Joseph Sanborn (13) all return to the lineup after playing significant starting roles last year. Smith is the leading returner in mintues played in 2014, seeing over 1,300 minutes on the pitch last season.
 • Junior Brad Stough and sophomore Jared Yonke will look to fill in for Sean Avila at goalkeeper after Avila graduated last season. Freshman keeper Aaron Gerdes (Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee's Summit West HS) also joins the Trojans this year to give the team three options between the posts.
 • In all, nine of the 12 players who started in ten or more matches over the last season will return for the 2015 campaign.

Series History    
 • Wednesday marks the fourth meeting between Trinity International and Missouri Baptist, and the first since 2012. The Trojans have taken the last two meetings, winning 1-0 over the Spartans in 2011, and 3-2 in 2012. Missouri Baptist took a 1-0 decision in St. Louis back in 2007.
 • TIU's Ike Akubuilo scored the game-winning goal in the second overtime period to give the Trojans the win on Aug. 28, 2012, scoring in the 105th minute. Grayson McMurray scored twice for TIU in the 7th and 9th minutes before the host Spartans battled back to tie the match in the second half.
 • The matches against Concordias Michigan and Wisconsin will be the first meetings with TIU since at least 2007.

Scouting the Opponents    
Missouri Baptist
 • The Spartans opened the season last Friday, with a 1-0 loss at home to Clarke (Iowa), despite out-shooting the Crusaders 21-4 in the match. MBU will travel to face St. Francis on Tuesday before playing Trinity the following afternoon.
 • Missouri Baptist return a pair of senior defenders in Dwight Degazon and Jose Luis Villatoro, both of which were named All-American Midwest Conference Honorable Mention selections last season.

Concordia (Mich.)
 • The Cardinals have gotten off to an 0-2 start after playing a home-and-home on back-to-back days with Rochester (Mich.), falling 5-3 in Rochester then dropping an 5-0 decision in their home opener. Concordia will travel to Mequon, Wisc. and face Concordia-Wisconsin on Friday before stopping through Deerfield Saturday afternoon.
 • Senior Max Monton is the team's leading returner, with four goals scored last season, while senior midfielder Kenny Vasquez was an All-Wolverine-Hoosier Conference Honorable Mention pick a year ago.

Concordia (Wisc.)
 • The Falcons will open their season on Tuesday with a trip to Carroll (Wisc.), and then face Concordia (Mich.) before hosting Trinity.
 • Concordia boasts a pair of star players at forward, including senior Keegan Van Dusseldorp, who was an All-Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference First Team selection last year. Additionally, sophomore forward Luis Loya was the 2014 NACC Freshman of the Year.

Looking Ahead    
 • Trinity International will finish the two-match road trip with a visit to Lakeland (Wisc.) on Wednesday, September 9, before having an open weekend on September 12-13.