Photo: UMHB women’s soccer’s Mackenzie Worthy scored her 11th goal of the season in Thursday’s win over McMurry (Photo by Russell Marwitz/True To The Cru/russellmarwitz.com).
The results for the UMHB men’s and women’s soccer teams in Thursday’s ASC semifinal matches are in, as the Crusader men fell to UT-Dallas, 1-0, and the Crusader women clinched a spot in Saturday’s ASC Championship match with a 2-1 win over McMurry.
UMHB’s men’s team fell to 9-5-2 overall, ending its 2023 season as the Crusaders were eliminated from tournament play. The UMHB women, who are ranked No. 12 in the nation, improve to 16-0-1, and will face the winner of Hardin-Simmons/Howard Payne on Saturday with an NCAA Tournament bid on the line.Â
UMHB women’s soccer advances past McMurry
How it happened
ABILENE–UMHB found offensive traction early, and took the lead in the 35th minute, as Kelsey White scored her third goal of the season. It was an advantage The Cru took into halftime, as they outshot McMurry 7-6 in the first 45 minutes of play.
Three minutes into the second half, Mackenzie Worthy further solidified the lead, scoring in the 48th minute for her team-leading 11th goal of 2023. While McMurry countered on Brooklyn Grove’s goal in the 69th minute, the Warhawks were held off the scoreboard for the remainder of the match. McMurry’s final shot of the contest came in the 75th minute from Alexis Lira, as the Crusader back line stepped up and kept the one-goal lead intact.
Match Notes
- UMHB has now won its third consecutive ASC Tournament match, after going 2-0 in the league tournament last season.
- The Crusaders went 2-0 against McMurry in 2023, outscoring the Warhawks, 4-1 in the two wins.
- Worthy has 11 goals in 2023, and 21 total goals in her UMHB career. She is just two goals away from tying the mark for the fourth-most goals in a season in program history (13).
- UMHB goalkeeper Reagan Williams tallied three saves in the match and also earned her 10th win on the year. It ties Williams’ win total from 2022 and Reagan Woodward’s win total in 2001. Williams is one goal away from tying Emmy McMaude for wins in a season (11), which ranks No. 2 in program history.
- Kelsey White has tied her collegiate record for goals in a season (3), with her goal in the 35th minute on Thursday night. The midfielder also tallied three goals during the 2021 season.
UT-Dallas edges UMHB men’s soccer in Belton
How it happened
BELTON-In a contest between two of the ASC’s best defenses, the first half played out without a goal for either side. UT-Dallas was limited to just four shots, while UMHB recorded five shots, though neither side broke through offensively.
But 20 minutes into the second half, the Comets took the lead, scoring on a well-placed goal from Kane Kidwell on an assist from Vaughn Morgan in the 65th minute. Though UMHB pushed the ball into UTD territory on several occasions over the final 25 minutes, the Comet defense kept the Crusaders outside of favorable striking distance.
With under four minutes left, UMHB’s Mason Munoz nearly took a close-range shot on goal, but UTD blocked the attempt and kept the Crusaders off the board. Then with under three minutes left, UMHB’s Xjavier Martinez sent a well-placed pass across the box, but the Crusaders were unable to convert. UMHB finished the match with just one shot on goal.
Match Notes
- UMHB finishes the 2023 season with a 5-3 record in matches played in Belton.
- UMHB is 5-2 in ASC Tournament matches played in Belton since 2014.
- Thursday marks the first time this season that the Crusaders were held to fewer than three shots on goal in a match.
- UTD tallied nine shots, eight of which were on goal. That marks the second-highest percentage of shots on goal out of total shots taken by a UMHB opponent this season, with 88% of UTD’s shots being on frame.
- UMHB goalkeeper Hayden Owens tallied seven saves, bringing his total on the season up to 39 saves.
