2022 WOMEN’S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
RICHARDSON, Texas – The 2022 American Southwest Conference Women’s Soccer Championship Tournament has been set after the final regular season games were completed on Saturday, October 29.
It took until the final day to sort out the final seeding, but No. 14
Mary Hardin-Baylor captured the 2022 ASC Regular Season Championship and finalized an unbeaten 16-game regular season.
The semifinals and championship rounds of the conference tournament will be hosted by Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas, on November 3 and 5. The No. 3 and No. 4 seeds in the bracket will host the quarterfinal round in the team’s respective matchups on Tuesday, Nov. 1.
The winner of the ASC Women's Soccer Tournament earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III National Championship.
The No. 1 seed Mary Hardin-Baylor (15-0-1) totaled 25 points with its first-ever program win coming against Hardin-Simmons, who were a win and goal away from trading spots. The Cru have been on a special streak with only one result not resulting in a win. The Cru have been ranked in both soccer national organizations throughout the fall and are second in NCAA Region X. UMHB is making its 10
th straight tournament appearance and 14
th overall. The Cru has a first-round bye and host the winner of game 1 on Thursday at 5 p.m.
The No. 2 seed Hardin-Simmons (11-2-2) earned the other first-bye with 22 points. Its lone conference setback came to the above mentioned UMHB, which was a one-goal difference. The Cowgirls did see recognition in the second half of the season as organizations like d3soccer.com gave votes and they are seventh in Region X as of last week. HSU has a history of success in the ASC Tournament with the most appearances (24), wins (48), and winning percentage (.935). The Cowgirls defeated UMHB in penalty kicks (3-1) after a scoreless result in 2021. HSU will play the winner of game 2 on Thursday at 8:00 p.m.
The No. 3 seed Concordia Texas (8-5-3) finished third back-to-back seasons after not ending the regular season any higher than fifth in 2016. The Tornados were spinning for upward contention a three-game slide halted their six-game winning streak in conference. Those three opponents were Hardin-Simmons, McMurry, and Mary Hardin-Baylor. CTX carried 18 points and will have home field on Tuesday versus Sul Ross State at 7 p.m. Concordia Texas will make 12 appearances – all coming in the last 13 years and the one miss being the COVID-19 spring season.
The No. 4 seed McMurry (7-5-4) ended with 17 points and will host the other quarterfinals match on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The War Hawks in league play only lost to the top two teams and otherwise did not surrender a goal in conference play, as they ended the campaign with two draws. McMurry will make its fifth appearance in the tournament, all coming in a straight span.
The No. 5 seed UT Dallas (7-6-2) will go against McMurry in the quarterfinals on Tuesday in Abilene. It will be a familiar scenery, as the Comets were just there this past week to conclude the regular season at McMurry and Hardin-Simmons. UTD did tie against McMurry and fell 1-0 to Hardin-Simmons. The Comets did win their first three conference games this fall to help reach 14 points. They will make appearance 23 this fall and are one-of-two teams in the conference to eclipse 20. Hardin-Simmons is the other.
The No. 6 seed Sul Ross State (5-7-2) and it will play the No. 3 seed Concordia Texas on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Lobos accumulated eight points, which was one better than the next two teams and two better than the ninth best team in the league. Sul Ross State had gone three-straight games without a loss until ending the regular season at East Texas Baptist on Saturday with a one-goal finish. It will also be the fifth time in the tournament for the Lobos qualified back-to-back years and are searching for an elusive first win in four attempts.