DENTON, Texas (Sept. 28, 2022) – Under the lights at Dallas Baptist, the Texas Woman's soccer team battled against the No. 1 Patriots on Wednesday night.
 
TWU (1-6-3, 1-2-2) has not had many games under the lights in 2022. On Wednesday, the Pioneers relinquished one early goal per half to lose the Lone Star Conference matchup against DBU (7-0-1, 3-0-1) on the road.
 
In the first half, the Patriots opened the game with an early corner kick opportunity at 4:34 and knotted their first goal of the night at the five-minute mark.
 
Following DBU's go-ahead goal, the Pioneers locked down and played pressure-filled defense.
 
TWU saw a solid look at goal at the 33-minute mark, after Celeste Beltran put a shot on frame.
 
In the remaining minutes of the first half, the Pioneers controlled the offensive attack. Zayda Henderson and Keely Chapman each recorded a shot, and TWU had one corner kick opportunity.
 
Despite the offensive looks for the Pioneers in the waning minutes of the first half, they could not find the tying goal before the half expired.
 
The opening of the second half had a similar story to the first, with DBU scoring in the first seven minutes of action.
 
TWU continued to pressure on the defensive and offensive side of the ball, working to find opportunities in the attacking third.
 
On the defensive end, the Pioneers did not allow another goal by the Patriots.
 
In the attack of the second half, Abby Powers saw the best look at the net in the 74th minute. Powers put the shot on frame; nevertheless, it was narrowly saved by DBU's goalkeeper.
 
Never giving up –  Dylann Vollaro tried one last opportunity to score in the 89th minute but was unable to place the ball in the net.
 
Morgan Sherman finished with seven saves on the night.
 
Bri Luna led the Pioneers in shot attempts with two, while TWU finished with eight shots total as a team.
 
"We put ourselves in a hole early on in the game," TWU head coach Babak Abouzar said. "With that being said, I liked how we responded. We put them under pressure and maintained good spurts of possession. We just have to limit our mistakes. A team like DBU will make you pay for them."
 
The Pioneers return home for their next match on Saturday, Oct. 1 against UT Permian Basin at 1 p.m. at Pioneer Soccer Park. TWU will be honoring Morgan Sherman for Senior Day, celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and hosting a free post game kids' clinic on Saturday.