By Jackson Keenan, Staff
UMHB Men's Soccer looks to continue its success under head coach Ben Allen after winning the 2023 regular season American Southwest Conference Title, and achieving first-place selection in the ASC preseason poll.
Under Coach Allen, the Cru finished last season with a record of 9-5-2 and 7-1 in conference play. However, the Cru lost to UT Dallas in the ASC tournament, which kicked them out of the National Tournament. According to Allen, his goal is to make it back to the dance in 2024.
"We've got a pretty great senior group, and so we want to make a run in the national tournament. And that starts with winning the league," Allen said.
Some of those impact upperclassmen are the 2023 ASC defensive player of the year and the 2024 preseason defensive player of the year, Senior Chase Duhon. Duhon helped lead the 2023 Cru defense only to allow six in-conference goals. Another key player for the Cru is the 2023 All-ASC selection and the 2024 offensive preseason player of the year, Alex Bethke. Bethke led the ASC in shots on frame and scored five goals with two assists.
A new addition to the Cru is assistant Coach Malik Shaheed. Shaheed played soccer at Lipscomb University and Biola University and for two years in the National Independent Soccer Association. After his first few weeks with the program, he commented on how excited he was for the season.
"The amount of talent we have in terms of returners as well as the freshmen that have come in and made a really big impact, it's definitely exciting times," Shaheed said.
With the addition of new freshmen and Coach Shaheed, Head Coach Allen shares how his team is talented and needs to lean on each other.
"We've got some freshmen who are really playing well right now. We've got some older guys who are doing really well, and so, you know, at the end of the day, yeah, like I said, I don't want to just pinpoint one player, but you know, at the end of the day, it's got to be a collective sport as well, and we lean on each other," Allen said.
Beyond the team, the ASC is experiencing new changes due to the departure of four members. To combat this, the ASC announced that the members would play each other twice during the regular season. This change will provide new challenges and opportunities for Coach Allen.
"I think for anyone who plays a double round robin, you know, to play a team potentially three times is challenging, you know, it allows people to make matchups and changes, tactical changes within the game and things like that. It's going to be interesting," Allen said.
With a mix of new faces and changes, as well as a strong returning class, the 2024 Crusaders look to start their season on August 30 on the road against Concordia University and begin ASC conference play on Sept. 28 against UT Dallas.
