Erick Lopez Scores Lone Goal to Seal Bulldog Victory

SEGUIN, Texas -- Sophomore Erick Lopez (Humble/Humble) scored the lone goal in the 52nd minute to spark the Texas Lutheran men's soccer team to a 1-0 shutout victory over Howard Payne University on opening day of the 2022 season Thursday at Gustafson Field.

After the first half ended in a scoreless stalemate, Lopez, a transfer from Upper Iowa University, broke the deadlock on a penalty kick.

Texas Lutheran controlled much of the game - maintaining possession for 66% of the match.

The stingy Texas Lutheran defense that defended Gustafson Field with five home shutouts a season ago kept their reputation alive on Thursday night - only allowing one shot on goal. Goalkeepers Caleb Weed (San Antonio/Warren) and Noel Pena (Houston/Cy-Falls) split the match with Weed collecting a save and Pena earning the winning decision - splitting the shutout.

The Bulldogs will travel to Roanoke, Virginia, to take part in the 2022 VBR Sports Roanoke College Men's Soccer Invitational over Labor Day weekend. The Bulldogs will face Ithaca College on Saturday at 3 PM and face host Roanoke College on Monday. All streaming and live stats links will be available on tlubulldogs.com.

For all updates on Texas Lutheran Soccer, follow @tlusoccer on Twitter and Instagram and as always you can find updates on all Texas Lutheran athletics on tlubulldogs.com and all official TLU social media channels (@tluathletics on Twitter, @tlu_athletics on Instagram and TikTok, and @tlubulldogs on Facebook).