As we head into the second half of September, the fall sports calendar is already well underway. UMHB Volleyball’s first conference matches were played this past week, with The Cru beating Howard Payne and Hardin-Simmons. Men’s soccer played in Belton for the first time this season last week as well, winning back-to-back matches. Football did as well, as UMHB took the field at Crusader Stadium in a lopsided win over Westgate Christian. As we do each Wednesday, here is a look at some of the most notable numbers from the most recent week within Crusader athletics, recapping the past several days with unique notes and history that give added meaning to the performances we saw.
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3 times in the last four seasons that UMHB men’s soccer has begun the year with a 2-0 record at home, including this season. In the first home matches of 2024 this past week, The Cru took down Austin College, 2-1, and McMurry, 3-0, scoring three goals in a match for the first time since Oct. 19, 2023. Also in Saturday’s win over McMurry, UMHB tallied 17 shots, recording at least 17 shots in a match for the first time last season’s Oct. 14, 2023 contest against UT-Dallas.
5 matches in a span of 50 hours for Cru Volleyball this past weekend. UMHB continued league play with a high-level, five-set duel against a tough Hardin-Simmons team on Thursday in Belton, winning 3-2. The Cru then returned to the court on Friday morning, sweeping Hendrix, before defeating UDallas, 3-1, that evening. Saturday began with a 3-1 win over St. Thomas (TX), and No. 24 Southwestern swept UMHB to end the weekend, as the Crusaders went 4-1 in a 50-hour span.
1,106 days since UMHB Football put over 80 points on the board in a game, having last done so against Simpson in an 84-6 win in the 2021 season opener. That was until UMHB won Saturday’s home opener over Westgate Christian, 85-6, finding the end zone 12 times. It was the second-highest point total in a game in program history, next to UMHB’s 91-7 win at Albright in the 2018 season opener, though will not official count in the record books as Westgate was a noncountable opponent.
3 times in the last two seasons that UMHB men’s soccer has seen a player score at least one goal in consecutive games, a feat accomplished by Xjavier Martinez in The Cru’s wins this past week. He is UMHB’s first multi-goal scorer this season, having found the back of the net in the 29th minute against Austin College and in the 14th minute against McMurry. Previous instances in the last two seasons came Oct. 19-21, 2023, when Mason Munoz scored in back-to-back matches against HSU and McMurry, and earlier in the 2023 season with Alex Bethke’s goals against Austin and Trinity. Martinez was named the ASC’s Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
6 straight wins over Hardin-Simmons in five-set matches for Cru Volleyball, a streak that dates back to 2005, and was extended by one on Thursday night. After winning the first two sets, HSU took the second two, forcing a decisive fifth set that UMHB won 15-8. Previous five-set wins over the Cowgirls came in 2005 (twice), 2013, 2021, and 2022. Interestingly, the first three victories in that span came on the road or on a neutral court, while the last three have been played in Belton. Of the five matches in Belton between UMHB and HSU since 2021, three have gone to five sets.
