ABILENE, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' Cowboy soccer team celebrated senior night in style, scoring three second-half goals to defeat McMurry 3-0 on Halloween at the HSU Soccer Complex. The victory improved the Cowboys to 8-7-1 overall and 7-2-1 in American Southwest Conference play.
After a scoreless first half, Hardin-Simmons broke through in the 57
th minute when
Liam Cisneros found the back of the net off assists from
Joseph Friederich and
Jaxon Shaffer. The goal capped off sustained pressure from the Cowboys, who outshot the War Hawks 17-5 in the opening 45 minutes.
The Cowboys doubled their advantage in the 79
th minute as
Korbin Raef scored just moments after entering the match, giving Hardin-Simmons a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Hardin-Simmons added an insurance goal in the 84
th minute when
Gael Zuniga converted a pass from
Gabriel Rodriguez to seal the 3-0 victory.
The Cowboys controlled the match offensively, firing 29 shots with 10 on goal while limiting McMurry to 16 shots. Hardin-Simmons also held a 5-3 edge in corner kicks and forced McMurry goalkeeper Enrique Cabello to make seven saves.
Defensively, Hardin-Simmons posted the shutout behind a combined effort from goalkeepers
Joel McPherson,
Joaquin Sanchez, and
Cayden Francis. McPherson recorded four saves in the first half, Sanchez added five stops in the second half, and Francis closed out the final minutes of the match.
Edwin Macias led the Cowboys with five shots, while Shaffer contributed four attempts and an assist. Cisneros, Raef and Zuniga each scored once as Hardin-Simmons honored its seniors with a dominant conference win.
The Cowboys will next compete in the American Southwest Conference championship tournament at Belton, Texas with match time to be announced.
--- www.hsuathletics.com ---
