SAN ANTONIO - The Belhaven Men's Soccer team fell 3-0 to Trinity on Friday night in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Division III Tournament, bringing what was a historic season for the Blazers, to a close.

Up against the No. 13 team in the country, Belhaven started well and had the better of the match through the opening minutes. However, in the 10th minute, Matthew Farias was issued a pair of tough yellow cards which saw Belhaven drop to 10 men for the remainder of the match.

Down a man, Belhaven fought valiantly and held off the Trinity attack until conceding the opener late in the first half. Belhaven continued to push on the other side of half time and had a couple of close chances to equalize.

In the end, the man deficit took its toll on Belhaven and the Tigers would tack on a pair of goals in the final half hour to seal the match. Despite the defeat, Belhaven played well in their first ever NCAA Tournament match and showed their intent to be a force on the national stage moving forward.

Goalkeeper Danny Bahena finished the match with 10 saves on 17 shots face including a couple of stunning efforts to keep Belhaven in it. Defensively, everybody contributed in breaking up Trinity attacks and giving the Blazers a chance to pull the upset.

It ends what was a historic year for a Belhaven program that has so much success in its history. A storied NAIA program, the Blazers now are making their mark in the NCAA with their first tournament appearance and first Collegiate Conference of the South title.

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