BROWNWOOD, Texas – Wayland Baptist University women's soccer continued its strong run of form Saturday night, earning a hard-fought 1-0 road victory over Howard Payne University at Citizens National Bank Field.

The Pioneers carried a one-goal advantage into halftime and relied on a disciplined defensive performance over the final 45 minutes to secure their second consecutive victory and second straight clean sheet. Wayland improved to 2-3-0 on the season with the win.

Wayland generated several opportunities during the opening half. Narriah Gomez put an attempt on target in the 25th minute before Camila Zavala forced another save less than a minute later. The Pioneers continued applying pressure and were rewarded just before the halftime whistle when a Wayland team goal at the 45:00 mark gave WBU a 1-0 advantage.

With the lead in hand, Wayland's defense took over.

Goalkeeper Ashley Lopez played all 90 minutes and recorded three saves to preserve the shutout. Howard Payne finished with 11 total shots, but the Pioneer defense limited the Yellow Jackets to just three shots on goal.

Howard Payne threatened during the second half, including an attempt off the crossbar in the 61st minute. Lopez came through again in the 73rd minute, stopping an attempt from Kenzie Cameron to maintain Wayland's one-goal advantage. The Pioneers' back line held firm the rest of the way as Howard Payne managed only four shots over the final 45 minutes.

Wayland also continued to create chances of its own while protecting the lead. Talia Gisonni put a shot on target in the 56th minute, while Ashley Perez and Alexia Fregoso each forced saves later in the second half. Five of Wayland's seven total shots were on goal.

Head Coach Alex Castaneda praised the Pioneers' collective effort following the road victory.

"A complete team performance from start to finish. We were disciplined, organized, and defensively sound throughout the match. Credit to the entire group for staying committed to the game plan, competing for every ball, and finding a way to get the result. It was a very good environment to play in, and our team embraced the challenge. Proud of the effort, togetherness, and fight from this group."

The victory marked another step forward for Wayland after a difficult opening stretch to the season. The Pioneers entered Saturday coming off a 2-0 victory over the University of the Southwest and have now posted back-to-back wins and consecutive clean sheets, outscoring their opponents 3-0 during the two-match stretch. Wayland improved to 2-3-0 with the victory over Howard Payne.

Wayland will return to action for its next match against Southwestern Adventist University on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. at J.V. Hilliard Field in Plainview.