BELTON- The UMHB men’s and women’s soccer teams have plenty to look forward to in the 2022 season, including each of their respective schedules, which were released on Wednesday afternoon. Highlighted by strong non-conference matches featuring a mix of NAIA and D-III opponents, both teams will be challenged early and often. The Crusaders are looking to replicate enormous success experienced during the 2021 campaigns.
Exhibitions lead off both teams’ seasons, as the men battle Hill College (Aug 17), Jacksonville College (Aug 20) and Huston-Tillotson (Aug 23), and the women play the first game of the doubleheader on the 23rd, also facing Huston-Tillotson. All exhibitions will be contested in Belton.
The season-opener for Barry Elkins’ women’s squad is against an opponent from the far north, as Wisconsin-Whitewater journeys to Belton for a Sept. 1 match. It marks the second straight year a WIAC opponent faces the Cru, as UW-Stevens Point came to Belton in a 3-0 victory for UMHB last September. That is followed by another home match against the College of St. Scholastica two days later on Sept. 3. It will be the first time in program history the Cru plays either opponent, though both are longtime D-III schools.
The men’s team opens the year in southeast Texas, first battling the Univ. of Houston-Victoria, a D-II program, on Sept. 1, followed by a Sept. 3 match at St. Thomas (TX) in Houston. The home opener for head coach Brad Bankhead’s squad is set for Sept. 10, when Our Lady of the Lake comes to Belton for a 7 p.m. contest on Sept. 10. Later in the non-conference schedule, UMHB hosts Trinity (TX) on Sept. 23. The Tigers were ranked No. 13 in the final United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll of the 2021 season, and will be the only ranked team from last year that the Cru faces during the regular season. The result of that match will likely factor into UMHB’s NCAA Tournament resume.
Both squads begin ASC play in Longview, Texas on Sept. 25, battling LeTourneau. The key conference date for the Crusaders comes in the second-to-last matches of the regular season on Oct. 22, when rival Hardin-Simmons plays in Belton. A consistent power in Region 10, HSU is strong on both the men’s and women’s sides, with proof in last year’s duels with UMHB. The women battled the Cowgirls twice, falling 1-0 in double overtime in the first meeting, before dropping the ASC title game on placekicks. In 36 meetings, UMHB’s women have never beaten HSU, though it remains a strong rivalry because of the competitiveness of the annual matches each season. The men, who were 10-0 in ASC play in 2021, defeated HSU, 3-0.
Complete schedules are featured below:
Women’s Soccer Schedule
Sept. 1: Wisconsin-Whitewater, 7:30 p.m., Belton
Sept. 3: College of St. Scholastica, 7:30 p.m., Belton
Sept. 9: Our Lady of the Lake, 2:00 p.m., San Antonio
Sept 11: Texas Lutheran, 1:00 p.m., Seguin
Sept. 16: Hendrix College: 7:00 p.m., Conway, Arkansas
Sept. 17: Belhaven, 7:00 p.m., Jackson, Mississippi
Sept. 21: Southwestern, 7:00 p.m., Belton
Sept. 29: LeTourneau, 5:00 p.m., Longview*
Oct. 1: ETBU, 12:00 p.m., Marshall*
Oct. 6: Sul Ross State, 5:00 p.m., Belton*
Oct. 8: Howard Payne, 5:00 p.m., Belton*
Oct. 13: UT-Dallas, 5:00 p.m., Richardson*
Oct. 15: Ozarks, 1:00 p.m., Clarksville, Arkansas*
Oct. 20: McMurry, 5:00 p.m., Belton*
Oct. 22: Hardin-Simmons, 5:00 p.m., Belton*
Oct. 28: Concordia (TX), 5:00 p.m., Round Rock*
Men’s Soccer Schedule
Sept. 1: Univ. Houston-Victoria, 3:30 p.m., Victoria
Sept 3: St. Thomas (TX), 7:30 p.m., Houston
Sept. 10: Our Lady of the Lake, 7:00 p.m., Belton
Sept. 12: Texas Lutheran, 7:00 p.m., Seguin
Sept. 23: Trinity (TX), 7:00 p.m., Belton
Sept. 25: Southwestern, 7:00 p.m., Georgetown
Sept. 29: LeTourneau, 7:30 p.m., Longview*
Oct. 1: ETBU, 2:30 p.m., Marshall*
Oct. 6: Sul Ross State, 7:30 p.m., Belton*
Oct. 8: Howard Payne, 7:30 p.m., Belton*
Oct. 13: UT-Dallas, 7:30 p.m., Richardson*
Oct. 15: Ozarks, 3:30 p.m., Clarksville, Arkansas*
Oct. 20: McMurry, 7:30 p.m., Belton*
Oct. 22: Hardin-Simmons, 7:30 p.m., Belton*
Oct. 28: Concordia (TX), 3:30 p.m., Round Rock*
