PINEVILLE, Louisiana – Howard Payne University (3-8-3) men's soccer team received a second-half goal from Tim Murphy and the defense stood firm in a 2-0 triumph over Louisiana College (0-17) this evening.  

For Murphy, it was his second goal of the season and Alex Sanchez tacked on his second goal of the season and the 8th goal of his career. Sanchez also assisted on Tim Murphy's header later in the 55th minute of the match. 

Howard Payne controlled the tempo of the game from the very start, collecting six shots on frame in the games first 22 minutes. In the 23rd minute, Alex "Rooster" Sanchez received the ball in the box from Ryan Cook and found the back of the net to put the Jackets up 1-0 early. 

The defense held strong the rest of the half, holding the Wildcats to just one shot on goal in the half while Howard Payne collected 10 shots of their own.  

Louisiana College never found any rhythm on offense thanks to a stingy Yellow Jacket defense that held Louisiana College to just two shots on frame in the match. 

The second half started just as the first half started, with Howard Payne on the attack. Marino Ochoa came out aggressive and had a header on frame that sailed wide left in the 46th minute. It proved to set the tempo for Howard Payne for the rest of the half. 

The Wildcats only mustered four shots in the second half while the Jackets recorded two shots on goal respectively. The Yellow Jackets logged their second goal of the game in the 55th minute when Tim Murphy was able to get his head on the ball and put it in the back of the net.  

Alex Sanchez had the assist on the Tim Murphy header and helped shore up the Howard Payne defense as they hung on to collect the 2-0 victory. 

Louisiana College's best shot for a goal came in the 77th minute when Ryan Cook picked up a yellow card to force a penalty kick. Brandon McGibeny came up big for the second game in a row and saved the shot from crossing the line to threaten Howard Payne's momentum. 

Alex Sanchez had four shots on goal (each of them on frame) including one goal and one assist to cap a fantastic performance for the senior. Tim Murphy's header in the second half gave him his second goal of his season. 

Josue Vasquez added three shots, two of them on goal in the victory and McGibeny finished the game with two saves. 

Howard Payne will now head to Jackson, Mississippi to face off against Belhaven University. Match time is set for 7:00 p.m. on October 29th. Fans can get live in game updates on Twitter by following @HPUMSoc and live stats can be obtained through HPUSports.com.