ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University women's soccer saw its first-ever appearance in the American Southwest Conference post-season tournament come to an end with a 2-0 loss to No. 1-seed Hardin-Simmons University at the HSU Soccer Complex. The War Hawks finished the season with a record of 6-12-1, while the Cowgirls (ranked No. 7 in NCAA Division III) improved to 14-1-1.
 
Despite the loss, McM Head Coach Charles Nobles was effusive with praise for what his young team – the War Hawks graduate just three seniors – accomplished.
 
"Our goal has been to give future War Hawks a standard to look up to," Nobles explained. "And I think that this team has done just that. They rewrote the history of our program and changed our culture. We went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the entire country and held our own.
 
"This senior class (Hannah Way, Karen Rocha and Cristen Lumbreras) is the catalyst for everything and we will miss them. But the legacy they left will carry on."
 
McMurry's team has held the perennial power Cowgirls to their fewest goals against it in each of the past two meetings.  With the least amount of goals scored in a match by HSU versus McM at six entering the season, Nobles' team gave up three in last week's ASC regular season finale, before giving up the pair of goals in the ASC tourney game.
 
The Cowgirls netted both goals in the first half, in the 17th and 45th minutes. The stellar War Hawks defense – led by Tagan Hansen, Meriah Sikora, Ashland Hansen and Kate Holland - held HSU scoreless in the second half. As a testament to the growth of the McM program, it marked the first time in the 18 meetings between the schools that the War Hawks have held the Cowgirls scoreless in a half.
 
HSU out-shot McMurry by an 18-5 margin for the match, with War Hawks' goalkeeper Cindy Villasana making five saves. Villasana and the McM defensive half also largely withstood a barrage of corner kicks (12 in all) by HSU.
 
Sky Reynolds had three shot attempts for McM, all on-goal.  Kate Holland had one shot, also on-goal, and Calista Flores took the team's fifth attempt.