ABILENE, Texas – Howard Payne took to the road today to face off against the War Hawks of McMurry. Hoping to start the road trip off on the right foot, the Yellow Jackets came out with some fight.
After falling behind 0-2 early in the first half, Howard Payne received back to back goals from Tracer Moore to notch the score back up at 2-2. McMurry put up one more goal in the second half before Julio Lazo was able to get his foot on the ball and tie it up at 3-3 in the 84th minute.
Lazo's goal forced the game into a third period and the two teams exchanged shots in the extra periods before concluding with the 3-3 draw. Howard Payne was able to snap their losing streak and build some momentum heading into ASC play.
The War Hawks were able to get on the board early, receiving two goals in the 25th and 27th minutes to take the 2-0 lead. However, the Yellow Jackets showed some toughness and continued to battle throughout the match.
Tracer Moore answered with back to back goals in the 31st and 43rd minutes to bring Howard Payne back up to a 2-2 tie heading into halftime. Shocking the home crowd and sparking new momentum for the Yellow Jackets.
Hoping to build on that momentum, Howard Payne came out of the second half and looked to take the lead. However, McMurry beat them to it, getting a goal on frame in the 57 minute to pull ahead 3-2.
Not to be discouraged, the Jackets continued to battle and played some back and fourth soccer until Julio Lazo broke away and got some space to knock in the game tying goal with just under six minutes left in the game.
The goal forced the two teams into two extra periods and although there were opportunities for the McMurry to score, goalkeeper Nicholas Panmeno and the Howard Payne defense locked down and forced the 3-3 draw in 4 periods of play.
Tracer Moore's two goals tied his season total and Julio Lazo was able to get his first goal of the season at a crucial time for the Jackets. McMurray tallied 23 shots, however only seven of them were on frame and Nicholas Panameno stepped up in a big way, deflecting four of them.
It was great team defense that helped propel Howard Payne to the draw and they will now look to carry that momentum into their next match.
Next up for the Yellow Jackets is another road contest vs. Hardin-Simmons. Game time is slated for 4:30 pm on October 1st and fans can follow the live video feed by going to https://portal.stretchinternet.com/hsu/ Fans can also keep up with in game updates on Twitter by following @HPUMSoc on Twitter and @HPUSports on Instagram.
