Bulldogs Shut Out Howard Payne, 2-0, to Remain Perfect

BROWNWOOD, Texas -- Texas Lutheran men's soccer concluded its season opening seven-match road trip with its seventh straight victory to start the 2023 season with a 2-0 shutout victory over Howard Payne Tuesday evening in Brownwood. The shutout is the Bulldogs fifth in seven matches in 2023 as they remain unblemished at 7-0 while the Yellow Jackets fall to 1-5.

For the fourth straight match, Jack Manke (Houston/Stratford), this week's SCAC Offensive Player of the Week, netted a goal for the Bulldogs - scoring on a penalty kick in the 15th minute. Manke is now 3-for-3 on penalty kicks in 2023 and tied for the national lead in Division-III in the category while sitting in third in the SCAC in goals (4) and points (9).

In the 53rd minute, Erick Lopez (Humble/Humble) would net his second goal of the season via an assist from Santiago Quinonez (Chihuahua, Mexico/New Braunfels) to bring the game to its final score of 2-0.

Senior Noel Pena (Houston/Cy-Falls) did not have to make a save on the night as the TLU back line only allowed five shots, none of which were on goal.

Overall, Texas Lutheran outshot the Yellow Jackets, 11-5, including a 5-0 edge in shots on goal while also holding a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Texas Lutheran returns to Gustafson Field for the first time this season on Friday, Sept. 22, as they face the Cowboys of Hardin-Simmons in their 2023 home opener. The match is scheduled for 7:30 PM and will be broadcast on TLU+. All streaming and live stats links will be available on tlubulldogs.com.