ABILENE, Texas — The Howard Payne University men's soccer team earned its first American Southwest Conference victory of the season Saturday evening with a 2-0 shutout over Hardin-Simmons University at the HSU Soccer Complex.

Goalkeeper Adrian Villa was outstanding in net for the Yellow Jackets, recording 14 saves to post his first shutout of the year as HPU improved to 1-1 in conference play.

Howard Payne got on the board early when Ethan Mauldin scored in the 10th minute off an assist from Sebastian Iniguez. The Jackets doubled their lead in the 71st minute as Xzavier Saldana converted a chance created by Tristan Merkh to make it 2-0.

Despite being outshot 43-10, the Jackets' back line and Villa anchored a resilient defensive effort that limited the Cowboys' quality opportunities throughout the match.

Head Coach Brandon McGibney praised his team's grit and discipline after the win. "I'm incredibly proud of the guys for how they battled tonight," McGibney said. "We stayed composed defensively, capitalized on our chances, and trusted each other for the full 90 minutes. Adrian was tremendous in goal, and this was a well-earned result on the road."

Howard Payne (1-8-2, 1-1 ASC) returns home to host Dallas Christian College on Thursday evening at Citizens National Bank Field.