CHICAGO, Ill. — Last night the Trojans took a trip downtown to open their Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference campaign against the Cougars of Saint Xavier University. After a prolonged game due to injury stoppages and an abundance of foul calls, TIU walked away with their second consecutive victory and the first in their conference season.

Less than two minutes into the first half, Trenton Garside notched the first shot of the game after earning a hat trick in the Trojan's previous fixture. From there, play went back and forth as the Cougars and Trojans traded possession and foul calls, each side called for seven fouls a piece in the opening 45 minutes. Among those calls, Trinity earned the first of many yellow cards in the contest.

After a relatively quiet first half, the Trojans and Cougars returned to battle after half time. Saint Xavier earned their first yellow card in the 51st minute, giving the Trojans an opportunity on goal from Garside that the Cougar goalkeeper batted away. The Trojans were able to maintain possession in their attacking third and send a couple more shots towards the Cougar goal but struggled to put anything on frame with multiple shots high and wide.

In the 81st minute, TIU found the back of the net as freshman Maqiis Haywood scored his first goal of the season, from a pass into the box by Jesus Ramos. With Trinity in the lead by a goal and the clock dwindling down, tensions rose on both sides of the field in the final ten minutes of play as seven fouls were called and five cards given out, including a red to both teams. Earning a spot kick near the corner with three minutes remaining, the Trojans crossed the ball into the box as a far post runner took his route. An unfortunate collision led to a Trojan ejection from the game and a long stoppage of time.

Upon resuming the game, Trinity's defense held strong as sophomore goalkeeper Armin Mahmutovic came through in a key moment after the Cougars earned a free kick in a dangerous spot The Trojans victory marked their first defeat of the Cougars since 2015.

Mahmutovic held all ninety minutes of play for the Trojans, making two saves on the night. Jamin Kuepfer, Edgar Barrientos, Jesus Ramos and Zach Mawdsley formed the Trojan back line who also played the full contest. Garside added four more shots, with two on goal while Haywood notched his first collegiate goal.

Up Next:
Trinity travels to Gary, Indiana for their next CCAC opponent as they look to continue their win streak against the Redhawks of IU Northwest on Tuesday evening at 8:00pm.
 

---

 

TIU Trojans
TIU Men's Soccer

 

---

Trinity International University is a comprehensive, national university affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America and located in Bannockburn, Illinois, 25 miles north of Chicago. TIU educates men and women to engage in God's redemptive work in the world by cultivating academic excellence, Christian faithfulness, and lifelong learning.