Crusaders Defeat Hendrix to Pick Up First Home Win

September 17, 2023

IRVING, Texas - The University of Dallas women's soccer team won their non-conference match against Hendrix College 4-2 on Sunday, notching their first home win of the season to improve to 2-4 on the season.

As the saying goes, it's not about how you start, it's how you finish.  Those who saw the first 20 minutes of the match surely would not have predicted the end result, as Hendrix were far and away the dominant side for much of the first half.  There was a sense of dread when Hendrix scored the first goal just 18 minutes into the game, as the Crusaders offense had failed to score in nearly 300 consecutive minutes of soccer over the last 13 days.

But all of that changed not even four minutes after the Warriors opened the scoring, as the Crusaders took advantage of a set piece to level the game with Britney Zapata's first goal of the season.  Though Hendrix continued to dominante much of the possession in the first half, the Dallas back line held firm to go into halftime all sqaure at 1-1.

The Crusaders came out of the break on the front foot, and it didn't take long for them to exploit the Warriors' apparent weakness at defending set pieces.  A little bit of fairy-tale magic was at play as well, as sisters Kaitlyn and Haley Cline scored in quick succession.  For Kaitlyn, it was the second goal of her UD career, now in her senior season as a Crusader defender, and for freshman Haley, the first goal of her collegiate career.  Their goals made it 3-1 in favor of Dallas.

The Warriors were not done, however, as Emily Seymour scored her second goal of the game to pull Hendrix within one withjust under 24 minutes to play.  But the Crusaders answered back almost immediately, as Nevaeh Coronado and Claire Reed combined to find Rachel Rodriguez on the end of an excellent passing move, with Rodriguez slotting the ball cooly in the back of the net to make it 4-2.

Hendrix could do little in the final minuntes of the game, as the Crusaders held on to secure the win.

Up Next

The Crusaders will hit the road for just the second time this season to face Southwestern Assemblies of God on Friday, Sept. 22.  Kick-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm.