Never a contender for the American Southwest Conference soccer title during its first 12 years in the league, UMHB thrust itself to the brink of the NCAA Division III Tournament before succumbing to Hardin-Simmons on penalty kicks Saturday in the championship match of the ASC Tournament.
A magical season that included the Crusaders' first ASC regular-season title and conference tournament victory was capped by 110 scoreless minutes and nine penalty kicks at Cru Sports Plex.
"We've never been a true contender, so this is a learning process for us," UMHB coach Brad Bankhead said. "Sometimes it hurts to learn, but our program is headed in the right direction."
