UMHB women’s soccer defeats Concordia 3-1, goes undefeated in ASC play for first time in program history

Above photo by Russell Marwitz/True To The Cru/russellmarwitz.com

ROUND ROCK, Texas- Postseason soccer will be played in Belton next week. 

The UMHB women’s soccer team secured the No. 1 seed in the ASC Tournament with its 3-1 victory at Concordia (TX) on Saturday afternoon, making history for the second straight week by becoming the first team in program history to complete the regular season conference schedule with an undefeated record of 8-0-1. 

“We’ve had the pressure on us to win these games at the end of the season.” UMHB head coach Barry Elkins said following the win. “We have earned the right to have that pressure and now we have earned the right to have that pressure at home. We are proud to host the ASC Tournament!” 

How it happened

Coming off of a major 1-0 home win over Hardin-Simmons exactly a week ago, the Cru parlayed that momentum into the regular season finale. As in three of the previous four matches, it was Maria Rico who scored first for the visitors from Belton, and she wasted no time in doing it. The senior forward led the offensive charge with her goal in the third minute of the contest, and before the first half was over, Natalie Mason also found the back of the net for UMHB in the opening half, as her goal at the 40:38 mark gave the Crusaders a 2-0 halftime advantage. 

Kaley Kaspar cut the deficit to one midway through the second half for Concordia, scoring in the 67th minute, but Rico countered for the Cru with her second goal of the match. The goal, which came on an assist from Ashley Vensel, came in the opening seconds of the 74th minute, and UMHB’s defense did the rest, holding the 3-1 lead until the final horn. 

Notable Team Numbers

UMHB’s offense had plenty more scoring chances throughout both halves, with 21 shots to Concordia’s nine. Eight of those 21 shots were on goal, compared to just five shots on frame for the Tornadoes. 

Stat Leaders

Rico now leads the Crusaders in goals scored, with nine on the year, and had a team-high three shots on goal. Mackenzie Worthy had nearly a quarter of UMHB’s total shots in the match, as she tallied five, and four other Crusaders recorded two shots apiece. Ainsley Westlake played all 90 minutes at goalkeeper for UMHB, with three saves. 

Up Next

Due to being the top seed, UMHB has a bye in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament, and will begin its postseason run on Thursday in a 5 p.m. match in Belton.