SAN ANTONIO—Hardin-Simmons University’s women’s soccer team won the NCAA Division III National Championship with a 2-1 win over Messiah at the Blossom Athletic Complex in San Antonio.
“This is big for our whole school and our conference,” said Marcus Wood, HSU head coach. “Our girls came out and I thought took it to them early in the game. We got the two goals, and then even after that, I thought we held our composure and were able to do a lot of good things in the game. Messiah is a great team. We definitely earned the win tonight.”
HSU's Erin Low was named the offensive MVP of the tournament, and her teammate Rebecca Roth was named the defensive MVP.
“Erin Low played the best game of her life,” Wood said. “I have coached Erin since she was 11 years old as a club player. I have never seen her play better than she did this weekend. She was a senior, and I started a freshman over her for most of the season. Erin didn’t like it, and she told me that, but I told her to stay with us that we would need her. The freshman got hurt, and Erin played great throughout the playoffs. She took advantage of her time.”
Roth finished the night with six saves, including four in the second half.
“As a goalkeeper, you live to have the ball hit at you,” said Roth. “I am so proud of my teammates, and we are so excited to be national champions. Our whole team just beat a very good soccer team. We made the plays we had to over and over tonight.”
Messiah came into the tournament as the two-time defending NCAA champion. The team had not lost since the 2007 final against Wheaton. They finished the year with a record of 24-1.
Hardin-Simmons finished the season with a 24-0-1 record. The one tie was in the semifinals, and HSU advanced on penalty kicks. The NCAA title was the first for Hardin-Simmons as a member of Division III. The university joined Division III in the 1996-97 school year.
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.