By Bradley Melchor
After a perfect opening weekend, the Crusaders Women's Soccer team hit the road on Thursday looking to extend their winning streak and continue their flawless start to the season.
The Cru started their two game road trip with a stop in Brownwood to take on Howard Payne University for their third ASC match of the season. The Crusaders dominated the run of play, taking ten shots compared to the Yellow Jackets’ one, but found themselves deadlocked at 0-0 going into halftime. The Crusaders continued their relentless pressure, and found a late winner when senior forward Mackenzie Worthy scored from a penalty with just 17 minutes remaining. This hard fought win over HPU saw the Crusaders improve their record to 3-0 in conference play and 10-0 overall.
The Cru were back on the road the next day as they made a lengthy trip out to Alpine to take on the ASC departing Sul Ross State University. Despite this match not counting towards the Crusaders’ conference or regional rankings, the Cru came out and put on a show in Alpine. The Crusaders lit up the scoreboard in the first half, putting five goals past the Lobos keeper, with Worthy, freshman forward Ella Ruff, sophomore midfielder Abigail Hickman, and junior midfielder Kelsey White and Breland Mungia each contributing a goal a piece. Junior goalkeeper Ainsley Westlake made three saves in the second half to preserve the UMHB clean sheet and help the Crusaders cruise to a 5-0 victory.
With their victories over Howard Payne and Sul Ross, the Cru have set their program record for the most consecutive wins to start a season with 11 consecutive wins. The Cru will look to continue their winning streak and etch their names even further into the history books when they host conference opponents the University of the Ozarks at 5 p.m Thursday and the University of Tyler-Dallas at 5 p.m Saturday at the Cru Soccer Fields.
