Above photo: Gracie Ruthven scored twice for UMHB on Sunday, helping The Cru beat ETBU in convincing fashion (Photo courtesy of UMHB Athletics)
BELTON — There were reasons for UMHB’s performance to be thrown off on Sunday afternoon.
For one thing, the Crusaders were hosting ETBU over 20 hours after the previously-scheduled game time, with their penultimate ASC contest of 2025 delayed—and rescheduled—due to Saturday night’s severe storms. To add to it, they were playing this game at Lake Belton High School’s turf field, rather than on their natural grass field on campus, as a result of Saturday’s weather. There was also the dynamic of ETBU having been the only conference opponent this season to hold UMHB scoreless through 80-plus minutes, with the season’s first meeting between the two in Marshall tied at 0-0 until Malyn Martinson’s game-winning goal in the 84th minute.
But none of that seemed to matter much on Sunday. Instead, on a day in which the program honored its nine seniors, UMHB claimed its second ASC regular season title in the last three seasons, overwhelming the Tiger back line with 20 shots on goal, four of which sailed into the back of the net.
The Cru’s 4-0 victory pushes UMHB within one win of its first-ever perfect season in conference play, as Barry Elkins’ talented squad sits at 5-0 heading into next Saturday’s regular season finale at second-place Hardin-Simmons (8-3-2, 3-2 ASC).
Sunday’s win also confirms that UMHB will be the ASC Tournament’s No. 1 seed. The four-team tournament, which spans Nov. 6-8, will be played in Belton by virtue of the UMHB men also winning their league (the ASC will host both 2025 tournaments at the site of the men’s No. 1 overall seed, just as the conference last year, hosting both at the site of the women’s top seed). The Crusader women will host either ETBU or Howard Payne in a tournament semifinal.
Unlike the first contest of the fall between UMHB and ETBU, The Cru held the lead by halftime. After a pair of shots from Gracie Ruthven were saved by Tiger goalkeeper Cadence Tischler in the opening 25 minutes, Allie Angell sent a shot past Tischler just after a corner kick early in the 28th minute. The junior’s second goal of the season gave the Crusaders the only lead they would need, but they were far from finished on the attacking front.
Just two minutes into the second half, Ruthven scored the first of her two goals off freshman Audrey Harlien’s first collegiate assist. 12 minutes later, Ruthven, a freshman from Austin, scored again, this time with McKenna Prichard on the assist. With her first multi-goal performance in a UMHB uniform, Ruthven joined Harlien as the two players to have scored twice in a single match for The Cru this season.
It was fitting though, that the final goal of UMHB’s last regular season home match came from a senior, as Laci Lopez fired a shot past Tischler in the 65th minute. For the senior forward from Round Rock, the goal was not only her first of the season, but it was also the first of her collegiate career, the kind of moment that makes senior day special. Lopez had three shots on goal against the Tigers, the second-most on the team, and played 41 minutes in her fourth career start.
A shutout in Belton
Sunday’s clean sheet marked the sixth time this season—in 10 total matches—that UMHB has shut out an opponent at home. That includes shutouts in two of The Cru’s last three matches, and three home shutouts in ASC play. UMHB’s goals-against-average at home this season is an impressive 0.700.
9-0
That is UMHB’s current goal differential in ASC play: nine goals scored, zero goals allowed. The Cru is the lone team in the conference that has not yet yielded a goal in league action.
Six-straight wins in the series
UMHB has now beaten ETBU in six consecutive matchups, a streak that dates back to 2022. The Cru is now 11-1-1 against the Tigers since 2014.
