The 2021 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Championship is being played in Seguin, Texas, at Texas Lutheran University, but for the Colorado College men's soccer team, the road to a conference championship and a berth in the 2021 NCAA Tournament still goes through Trinity University. 
 
It may seem a little peculiar to state that CC likes the bracket for the SCAC Tournament, but the truth is the Tigers got exactly what they need to not only win their first SCAC Championship, but to bolster its case for an at-large invitation to the national playoffs.
 
"The way the bracket played out is great for us," head coach Scott Palguta said. "Playing well against a nationally-ranked opponent like Trinity can do nothing but support our position, and winning against them would do wonders for beefing up our profile in the eyes of the selection committee."
 
Colorado College and No. 2 Trinity face off for the second time in eight days on Friday at 5 p.m. in the first of two semifinal games. The second game features No. 2 University of St. Thomas and No. 3 Southwestern University. Since the Celts are not eligible to participate in the NCAA Tournament, a St. Thomas victory would automatically send the CC-Trinity winner through to the national tournament.  
 
The Tigers are already part of the postseason conversation because it began the season with a pair of victories over opponents that currently are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in their region, Gustavus Adolphus College and St. Olaf College. The only real blemish on CC's postseason resume is a 6-2 setback at Macalester College in the fourth game of the season.
 
Since then, the Tigers are 8-3-1 and played well in almost every game, the exception being the first meeting with Trinity on Sept. 24 in hot and humid San Antonio. That fixture marked the first time Palguta's young Colorado College side faced the SCAC's perennial favorite.
 
Fast forward to last Friday, CC went toe-to-toe with Trinity and were the better team throughout much of the first half. 
 
"Even though we were on the wrong end of the result, our performance restored the belief that we can hang with Trinity," Palguta said. "They're an excellent team and their depth is incredible, but I will say we have a very good team.
 
"They are such a strong team, you have to put together a complete game. Playing a good half is not enough. Playing a good 80 minutes is not enough. You must be at your very best for 90 minutes or more and then, who knows?"
 
The difference between the two results against Trinity can be directly attributed to the growth of the Colorado College team, in particular the continued development of the 11 first-year Tigers.
 
During the regular season, CC's freshmen accounted 21 goals and 20 assists. Midfielder Vincent Luglio leads the team with 10 goals and 23 points, while forward Gabe Kellman is second with seven goals and 21 points, and tied for second with 21 points. They also have combined for six game-winning goals.
 
Curtis Hale has been a fixture on the back line, while Will Bauvier, Teddy Libby, Remy Maher and Will Sylvain have added quality depth and contributed timely point production.
 
The Tigers also received important offensive contributions from expected sources, namely Kiran and Sajji Singh. Kiran, a senior forward, is tied for second with seven goals and third with 17 points. Sajji, a junior midfielder, produced career highs with 10 assists and 16 points, and matched his career best with three goals. In his second season, defender/midfielder Alexander Ward set career highs with four goals, three assists and 11 points.
     
Two players who enjoyed breakout seasons are sophomore midfielder Ronan McCann, who recorded two goals, five assists and nine points, and junior defender Mason Davis, who struck for the first three goals of his career, all on set pieces.
 
Finally, with the exception of two games during which the opposition scored six goals, the Colorado College defense has performed admirably. Anchored by junior center back Noah Johnson, the Tigers' back line recorded five clean sheets and did not allow more than one goal in 11 of 16 games.
 
Senior goalkeeper Keleher Felton returned to the form he displayed in 2019 when he was a first-team all-SCAC selection. With his 11-4-1 record and three clean sheets this year, Felton now is tied for tied for 10th place in program history with eight shutouts and ranks fifth with 24 career victories.