Photo by Russell Marwitz/True To The Cru/russellmarwitz.com
BELTON — Barry Elkins entered the 2024 season with a well-thought out plan for how his team would look schematically. With the team’s top two goal scorers having graduated, it left an offensive void that had to be filled. The returning talent was certainly there, but it was a matter of structuring it in a way that benefitted The Cru the most.
Initially, he moved midfielder Kelsey White, who had three goals last season, to the outside of the 3-4-3 formation. It would allow her to be in better position for scoring opportunities, leading The Cru’s offensive charge. But that ended up being short-lived, as it opened up too much of a void in the middle of the field, putting more pressure on midfielder Breland Mungia. So he moved her back, and while that hasn’t been the only reason for UMHB’s four-match win streak since Sept. 21, it has certainly contributed to it.
“Moving Kelsey back into the middle helped Breland out, it helped Kelsey out, and ultimately, it helped our team,” Elkins said earlier this week.
The ability to deviate from such an organized plan in order to correct issues at play is one of the reasons why Elkins is the program’s all-time winningest coach. After a 2-1-1 start that saw UMHB take a 2-0 loss to Sewanee followed by a 1-1 draw against Trine in Tennessee, he pivoted, and made the right decision, even though it went against what he had planned on prior to the fall.
“I’m not going to call it a philosophy, but one of those things I’ve always known is that you have to have a plan to change the plan,” Elkins added. “So I go into it with that thought process, sometimes knowing full well I’m going to change it, because you adjust as you go.”
The learning aspect of the early part of the season applies to the coaching staff just as much as it does the players. Until they see the team on the field together, it’s hard to know exactly what works and what needs to be adjusted or changed for this particular group. And as a collective unit, the team identity takes time to establish. It isn’t a process that can be rushed, and over the course of the two-game stretch in Tennessee, in which UMHB played two solid second halves against quality competition, the Crusaders advanced in that process.
“We talk about finding our identity every year,” Elkins said. “Even though a large chunk of our team is back from last year, we’re a different team. So how are we going to play? Where are we going to be special on the field? What kind of things are going to work for us? That actually takes some time to develop. I thought it took a couple weeks into the season for us to be able to figure some things out.”
One of the components that became apparent as UMHB settled into its non-conference schedule in September was the impact of its midfield and low forwards. White, Mungia, Natalie Mason, and Morgan Rathmell have anchored The Cru. Considering the quartet is completely made up of seniors, the experience level has paid dividends, especially as of late. In a 3-1 win over Concordia (TX) last Thursday, White, Mason, and Mungia all found the back of the net, with Rathmell assisting on two of the three goals.
“We’ve brought them all to the middle of the field. Because they’re older and have a good idea of what’s being asked of them, they’re not pegged into certain roles,” Elkins said. “The relationship between Kelsey and Breland is Breland can go up and score and the next run, Kelsey goes up and gives a hand. And with Natalie and Morgan, they just naturally find each other more.
“Having all four of them in the middle, where they’re all friends, and have all grown up in this system, they know what they’re doing intrinsically without even speaking most of the time.”
“Growing up in the system” has contributed greatly to UMHB’s consistency during Elkins’ 13 seasons leading the program. The development and maturation of White, Mungia, Mason, and Rathmell was influenced greatly by the upperclassmen that played their positions before them. The steady run of impactful senior classes has been important to The Cru’s success, not solely because of what those seniors provide immediately, but also because of the way they impart what they’ve learned onto those coming up through the program.
“For example, with Kelsey [White], you can track it all the way back to when Emily Blaettner was starting in the midfield,” Elkins noted. “Shay Smith learned from Emily, and Kelsey learned from Shay. And Breland learned from Kelsey.
“You’re seeing it right now with Ella Ruff. She’s been able to come in and spell either Kelsey or Breland as a sophomore. I can tell you who our next one is going to be, because Ella is learning from those two and doing a phenomenal job herself. You see it to where these players pour into the next generation, and that’s where I think Kelsey and Breland are intentionally pouring into Ella, because they know she’ll be part of the next group. And one day, Ella will be pouring into somebody else. That’s just the way it’s gone for us.”
The starting lineup so far has been a good mix. In Saturday’s 2-1 victory over UT Dallas—the first time UMHB scored multiple goals in a match against the Comets since 2018—Elkins started five seniors, a junior, four sophomores, and a freshman. But the Crusaders also have plenty of firepower coming off the bench, a necessary component as UMHB seeks its third-straight ASC regular season title.
The fight for that championship begins Thursday in Abilene in what will almost certainly be UMHB’s toughest road match of the regular season.
The rivalry between HSU and UMHB took a significant step forward in 2022, on that late October day when The Cru pulled off a 1-0 defeat of the Cowgirls in Belton. It was UMHB’s first win over HSU in program history. In the previous 38 meetings with HSU, the Cowgirls had won 36, having dominated ASC women’s soccer in the process. It seemed every match up to that point had been closely contested, and two ended in ties, including the 2021 ASC Tournament final.
But with that win, UMHB stepped into a new era. The Cru took down HSU in the 2022 ASC Tournament championship, 1-0, for the program’s first-ever conference tournament title. Then they went to Abilene last season and emerged with a 1-0 victory, making it three straight wins in the series. But like every good rivalry, HSU punched back in the ASC Tournament last fall, also winning by a 1-0 margin in the title game.
The recent back-and-forth nature of the series between the two has only added to the intensity. In the preseason poll, UMHB ended up ahead of HSU by just five points, receiving seven first-place votes to the Cowgirls’ three. Heading into Thursday’s match, both teams have lived up to those preseason expectations, with UMHB sitting at 6-1-1 and HSU at 7-1-2.
And the rivalry has taken another turn, without involvement from either side. Due to the ASC’s dwindling conference numbers, this season marks the first time that UMHB will play everyone in the league twice. So instead of going up against HSU once in the regular season, The Cru will see the Cowgirls again on Oct. 26 in Belton. And there’s a fair possibility they’ll meet again in the conference tournament.
“We’re still figuring out what that’s going to look like,” Elkins said. “Usually, when you face them a second time, it’s in the conference tournament. And there, it’s win or go home.”
It is also the earliest that these two programs have met since the 2016 season. For the last several years, they played within the last two weeks of October, with the regular season drawing to a close and the ASC regular season title very much within reach.
But the change in scheduling won’t change the level of competition seen in Abilene on Thursday night. UMHB and HSU are the ASC’s top two programs, and likely the current top two in Texas. Aside from the race in the conference standings or building up tournament resumes, the bar is immediately raised when these two meet.
“You’re talking about two teams that are regional powerhouses at this point,” Elkins said. “In Region 10, we don’t get this matchup too often. Cal Lutheran and Pomona-Pitzer don’t see each other every day. Pacific and Puget Sound don’t see each other every day. Same with us and Hardin-Simmons. So it’s fun when it happens, and we’re looking forward to it.”
UMHB’s ASC opener against Hardin-Simmons kicks off at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The match will be broadcasted live on hsuathletics.com.
