BROWNWOOD, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' Cowboy soccer team picked up a conference road win Thursday night, defeating Howard Payne 2-1 at Citizens National Bank Field. The Cowboys improved to 6-7-1 overall and 5-2-1 in American Southwest Conference play with the victory.
After a scoreless first half in which Hardin-Simmons controlled much of the play, outshooting the Yellow Jackets 9-4, the Cowboys broke through with a pair of second-half goals. Hardin-Simmons finished the match with a 21-12 advantage in shots and held a 7-1 edge in corner kicks.
The Cowboys finally found the breakthrough in the 61
st minute when
Korbin Raef scored to give Hardin-Simmons a 1-0 lead. Less than three minutes later,
Gabriel Rodriguez added an insurance goal in the 64
th minute, extending the advantage to 2-0.
Howard Payne answered in the 85
th minute on a goal by Francisco Perez, assisted by Andrew Womack, cutting the deficit to one. However, the Cowboy defense held firm over the closing minutes to secure the conference victory.
Rodriguez paced the Hardin-Simmons attack with seven shots, including the match-winning goal, while
Noah Halpin added four shots. Raef scored on one of his two shots on goal as the Cowboys placed 12 shots on frame.
In goal,
Joel McPherson made two saves in the first half before
Joaquin Sanchez came on in the second half and helped preserve the win. The Cowboys limited Howard Payne to five shots on goal for the match.
Hardin-Simmons returns to action on Saturday, traveling to Kerrville, Texas, to face Schreiner University at 7:30 p.m.
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