BELTON, Texas – The Howard Payne University men's soccer team (5-10-2) lost to the University Mary-Hardin Baylor Crusaders (12-2-2, 8-0-2) by a score of 6-0 on Saturday evening at the Cru Soccer Field.

Even though the Yellow Jackets may have lost this game, the game was really a dead rubber match. Mary Hardin-Baylor had already clinched the regular season conference championship, and Howard Payne got locked into the fifth-place spot in the American Southwest Conference standings after the loss to East Texas Baptist University on Thursday.

With the regular season now over, HPU now knows that they will be playing Schreiner University in the quarterfinals of the ASC Conference Tournament, after ETBU beat Schreiner by a score of 4-0. This match will take place in Kerrville, Texas on Tuesday, November 3.

HPU went behind early, UMHB scored the first two goals of the match within the first eight minutes. The Yellow Jackets then were able to manage the pressure of the Crusaders to keep the score the same and go into half trailing 2-0.

In the second half, Mary Hardin-Baylor scored another early in the 47th minute to make it 3-0 and converted a penalty chance to push the score to 4-0. The Crusaders scored their fifth goal in the 64th minute and their sixth goal in the 75th minute.

Overall, the Yellow Jackets managed to get five shots off, and force UMHB's goalkeeper, Ryan Lord, into making two saves.

Up Next: The Howard Payne University men's soccer team will now turn their attention to the American Southwest Conference Tournament, where the Yellow Jackets will take on the Schreiner University Mountaineers on Tuesday, November 3 in Kerrville, Texas at the Mountaineer Soccer Field. Kickoff time is still to be determined.