2017 Schedule
2017 Roster
BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's soccer team will open the 2017 season Friday, September 1
st in a 7:30 p.m. match against No. 12 Trinity University in San Antonio.
The Cru was picked to finish fourth in the American Southwest Conference in the league's Preseason Poll after finishing 11-6-1 a year ago. UMHB went 7-2-1 in ASC play and advanced to the postseason for the third consecutive season under head coach
Brad Bankhead.
"I really like where our team is right now," Bankhead said. "We have an experienced roster with a senior-heavy line up. Many of these guys have played in two semifinals and one quarterfinals in their time here and we will draw from that experience to overcome. The belief and desire is greater than ever before."
Bankhead returns six all-conference selections from last season, including two NSCAA All-Region honorees in
Caleb Vandergriff and
Caleb Almanza. Vandergriff, a junior defender from Georgetown, Texas (East View H.S.), was a First Team All-Region honoree and selected the 2017 ASC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. He started in all 18 games of his sophomore campaign and anchored a defense that allowed just 17 goals for a 0.93 goals-against average. Almanza, a senior midfielder from Odessa, Texas (Permian H.S.), was a Third Team All-region selection and led UMHB's midfield with five assists in 2016. Almanza totaled 1,445 minutes as a junior and was an impact player in UMHB's offensive and defensive efforts.
Steven Dang,
Case Carnes,
Logan Keeler and
Javier Zaragoza also return after earning all-conference honors in 2016. Dang, a junior from Plano, Texas (West H.S.), started in all 18 contests and was a key member of UMHB's back line. Carnes, a senior from Tyler, Texas (Robert E. Lee H.S.) and Keeler, a senior from Montgomery, Texas (Montgomery H.S.), teamed up for 10 goals and nine assists in 2016, scoring a combined three game-winning goals. Zaragoza, a senior goalkeeper from San Antonio, Texas (Madison H.S.), recorded a 0.94 goals-against average in his junior campaign, limiting opponents to just 16 goals with 43 saves.
The Cru will open the season with a pair of road games before opening the home slate on Friday, September 8
th in a 7 p.m. match against Schreiner University at the UMHB Soccer Fields in Belton. UMHB opens conference play at LeTourneau University on Thursday, September 14
th. Continuing coverage of the 2017 season is available at cruathletics.com
