Knight’s hat trick leads Trinity Christian to 4–1 playoff win over Petersburg

Trinity Christian High School defeated Petersburg 4-1 on Monday in the opening round of the Class AA/A Region II soccer playoffs in Sabraton. Senior striker Evan Knight scored three goals to lead the No. 7 seed Warriors to the second round.

The victory improves Trinity Christian's record to 6-10-1 and sets up a matchup against second-seeded Pocahontas County on Wednesday. Petersburg ended its season winless at 0-16.

Sophomore Ben Hancox opened the scoring midway through the first half by converting a rebound. Knight made it 2-0 before halftime with a strike into the top corner from the edge of the 18-yard box.

Petersburg scored with 90 seconds left in regulation

Knight added two more goals in the second half, finishing in a one-on-one situation and later completing his hat trick with under nine minutes remaining. Petersburg scored with 90 seconds left in regulation to deny Trinity Christian a shutout.

Head coach Dan Lohmann credited his squad's second-half composure despite early rust. "We have a lot of inexperience, so these playoff moments are massive for us," Lohmann said. "We did well to string together some things in the second half and finish strong."