NASHVILLE – The Trevecca Nazarene University men's soccer team kept its perfect start rolling Tuesday, striking twice before halftime and putting away Johnson University, 3-0, at the Trevecca Soccer Complex.
The Trojans (4-0) handed the Royals (4-1) their first loss of the season while matching the best start in program history. The 2006 Trevecca squad also opened its season 4-0.
Chris Douglas supplied a brace, Daniel Shiel converted from the spot and keeper Hunter Walker and the Trojan back line locked down their third clean sheet through four matches.
The match was the first known meeting between Trevecca and Johnson in men's soccer.
THE MATCH
Trevecca found the breakthrough in the 29th minute.
The Trojans worked their way into the attacking third before Levi Jones and Judah Jones combined to set up Douglas, who provided the finish at 28:41 to put Trevecca in front, 1-0.
It was the first of two on the night for Douglas.
Trevecca doubled the advantage just before the halftime whistle.
The Trojans earned their first penalty kick of the season, and Shiel stepped to the spot and buried it at 39:26 for a 2-0 advantage.
Trevecca has now converted its last 16 penalty kicks. The Trojans' last miss from the spot came nearly 13 years to the day earlier, Sept. 7, 2013, against Union University.
The Trojans took the two-goal cushion into the break and found the insurance goal in the 65th minute.
Connor Woulfe provided the service and Douglas finished the move at 64:14, completing his brace and putting the match away at 3-0.
Douglas now has four goals and eight points through four matches.
Shiel's penalty was his second goal of the season. Judah Jones picked up his third assist of the year on the opening goal, while Levi Jones collected his first assist and now has three points. Woulfe's helper on the final goal was his second assist of the season.
BY THE NUMBERS
Trevecca finished with a 19-14 advantage in shots and placed nine attempts on frame. Johnson put six of its 14 shots on target.
The Royals held a 6-3 edge in corner kicks.
Both sides recorded six goalkeeper saves.
WALKER AND THE CLEAN SHEET
Walker went the full 90 minutes between the posts and turned aside all six Johnson shots on goal to earn his third shutout of the season.
The sophomore improved to 4-0 with 18 saves, a .900 save percentage and just two goals allowed across 360 minutes. His goals-against average stands at 0.50.
Walker leads the Gulf South Conference in saves, shutouts per game and save percentage and ranks second in goals-against average.
The clean sheet came on the same day Walker was named the GSC Goalkeeper of the Week for his performance in Trevecca's 1-0 road victory over No. 19 Carson-Newman. Freshman defender Haden Brown was named the league's Defender of the Week after scoring the match winner and helping the Trojans secure the clean sheet against the Eagles.
Walker now has eight career shutouts after recording five as a freshman, the Trevecca single-season record during the NCAA Division II era.
NEXT FOR THE TROJANS
Now the Trojans turn their attention to Gulf South Conference play.
Trevecca opens its GSC schedule Saturday, Sept. 12, traveling to the University of Montevallo for a 7:30 p.m. first touch at Varsity Soccer Field in Montevallo, Alabama.
The Falcons enter the match 0-2-1 and have won each of the first three meetings in the series.
Montevallo claimed a 3-2 decision last season in Nashville. The two Trojan goals in that match were Trevecca's first in the series. The Falcons won the inaugural meeting, 4-0, in Chattanooga in 2017 before taking a 3-0 decision in Montevallo in 2024.
Trevecca heads to Alabama with a chance to do something no Trojan men's soccer team has done before: move to 5-0.
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