TJ hands Trinity boys soccer its first loss
A free kick goal by Thomas Jeferson from 30 yards ended Trinity’s hopes for an undefeated season.
Six minutes into the second half, Thomas Jefferson’s Jacob Surrena put the free kick on target from the left side and it bounced between the legs of Trinity keeper Joel Young’s legs and into the net.
It was the lone goal on the night and Thomas Jefferson stopped Trinity’s unbeaten streak at 12 games with a 1-0 win Tuesday night in a Class 3A Section 2 game at Hiller Field.
“The offense didn’t come through for us tonight,” Trinity coach Alex Nikolopoulos said. “We let one free kick in, but the defense played their hearts out. The entire team played very well, just not to the level that we need them to be at this point.”
The Hillers are seeking their first section title since 2020, but the loss makes things a little murkier.
Trinity and Ringgold are atop the section after drawing twice.
The Rams have four ties on their section record. The best Ringgold can finish is 6-0-4, while the Hillers can finish 7-1-2. If that ends up being the case Trinity would win the section title outright on points with 23 to Ringgold’s 22.
Trinity has section games with Albert Gallatin on Thursday and Uniontown next week, while the Rams finished up their section schedule with Uniontown Tuesday.
Trinity (5-1-2, 7-1-5) has made its bones by holding opponents to one goal or less, which was the case again Tuesday, but it wasn’t enough to keep their unbeaten streak going.
After Surrena’s goal, Thomas Jefferson (6-2-1, 8-6-2) continued to control possession and limited the Hillers’ chances for an equalizer.
Trinity made a push in the final 10 minutes, couldn’t find a tying goal.
Neither team found the net in the first half, but both had their chances.
Thomas Jefferson had the better of the play early on, but Young was up to the task.
In the 18th minute, Gavin Kern put a high-arching attempt on goal that Young had to punch over the crossbar.
That set up a corner, which Kern served in and Young punched away. The ball bounced around the box, before setting for Young, who covered to erase the threat.
The Jaguars put a couple of other long shots on Young, but he handled them easily.
Trinity did not get its first shot on target until Evan Slagle put one toward Jaguars keeper Joey Cortese in the 26th minute.
The Hillers’ best opportunity for a goal in the first half came in the 27th minute when Jacob Wright stole the ball off a Jaguars defender and went in alone on Cortese, who was well outside the net.
Wright’s shot was stoned by Cortese and he reached back behind him to grab a potential rebound before Wright could pounce on it.
Trinity defender JJ Bieranoski was the recipient of the Randy Jordan Memorial Award, which was given out at halftime. The award is named after Randy Jordan, a former Trinity soccer player and dad, who died in 2025. Jordan was a member of the 1983 Hillers state championship team.
It’s been an emotional season for Thomas Jefferson because longtime coach Dr. Michael Kulish Jr. died in September at age 79 of heart failure. Kulish’s son, Michael Kulish III, has been coaching the team this season.