Trevecca Trojans Edge Lee in OT, Advance to First GSC Title Game

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Douglas’ golden goal sends No. 7 TNU to championship clash with West Alabama

HUNTSVILLE, AL - In a season already packed with program firsts, the No. 7 Trevecca Nazarene University men’s soccer team added another chapter Thursday night. Chris Douglas finished a Judah Jones cross in the 95th minute to lift the top-seeded Trojans to a 1-0 overtime victory over Lee University in the Gulf South Conference semifinals at the Loretta P. Spencer Sports Complex.

The win sends Trevecca (14-1-2) into its first GSC tournament final. The Trojans will face No. 6 seed West Alabama at noon CT Saturday for the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division II tournament. It also marked Trevecca’s first postseason overtime victory, its first time winning multiple games in a single postseason, and revenge for the team’s only regular-season loss—a 3-1 setback to the Flames in September.

Douglas’ goal was his 19th of the season, extending his lead as Division II’s top scorer. It was also his seventh game-winner. Hunter Walker recorded three saves for his eighth solo shutout of the year, preserving a hard-fought clean sheet against a Lee side that had tied for the fewest goals allowed in the GSC.

The match stayed scoreless through regulation despite chances on both ends. Trevecca tested Lee goalkeeper Charles Carriglitto early, while Walker punched away a late first-half threat. In the second half Levi Jones rattled the crossbar and Douglas saw a header saved. Lee pushed for a winner in the final minutes but could not find the frame.

In overtime, Judah Jones forced a turnover near midfield, surged down the right flank, and delivered the decisive cross. Douglas redirected it off the left post and in at 94:32, sparking the Trojans’ celebration.

The victory sets up a rematch with West Alabama (8-6-4), which Trevecca defeated 2-1 on Oct. 23 in Nashville. That earlier win helped the Trojans clinch a share of the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed. Douglas scored the winner then as well. The Tigers, led by national scoring runner-up David Nunez (18 goals), advanced with a 2-0 semifinal shutout of second-seeded AUM.

Trevecca enters the final on a nine-match winning streak and with Division II’s most prolific attack in several categories. Douglas leads the nation in goals, goals per game, points per game, and game-winning goals. The Trojans rank among the national leaders in assists, save percentage, and goal differential. Goalkeeper Walker and several teammates earned major GSC individual awards earlier this week.

A win Saturday would deliver Trevecca’s first GSC tournament championship and a guaranteed NCAA berth. Even a loss would leave the Trojans in contention for an at-large bid. For a program that was picked eighth in the preseason and has already rewritten much of its record book, the opportunity to claim the conference crown represents the latest—and largest—milestone of a breakthrough campaign.