• The 30th season of Trinity Women's Soccer kicks off on Thursday, as the Trolls welcome the Spring Arbor Cougars to the Schaaf Athletic Complex.
• Thursday's match will be the first for Head Coach
Gabriel Sitibaldi, who will guide both the men's and women's programs for 2025. Sitibaldi previously coached women's soccer at his alma mater, Williams Baptist (Ark.) for six seasons alongside the Eagles' men's program.
• The Trolls and Cougars will match up for the first time in nearly 20 years; the last meeting with Spring Arbor came in 2007, at the NCCAA Women's Soccer National Championship. The Cougars defeated Trinity 1-0 in the national semifinals.
• Trinity returns two key players on the defensive half of the field, in senior goalkeeper
Michelle Urribarri and senior defender
Samantha Wind. The pair were both named to the All-CCAC Second Team a year ago, and Wind was included on the NCCAA All-American First Team.
• Up front, it will be a new look for the Trolls, who lose three of their top four goal-scorers from a year ago. Senior
Madison Tamminga is back as the team's top returning goal-scorer, with three last season. Junior midfielder
Nerea Genc also returns with senior midfielder
Grace Wieneke as the top returners in assists from last year.
• The Trolls are coming off claiming the 2024 NCCAA National Championship, the third national title in program history, and the fifth national championship overall for Trinity Christian College.
• Trinity placed 6th in the CCAC a year ago, reaching the quarterfinals of the CCAC Tournament. The Trolls finished the season ranked 5th in goals scored (40), and 6th out of the 12-team lead in goals allowed (28).
