DENTON, Texas (Oct. 4, 2026) - The Texas Woman's soccer team continued their strong defensive run Saturday night, defeating UT Tyler 2-0 at Guyer High School to improve to 11-1 overall and 7-1 in Lone Star Conference play.
The victory marked the Pioneers' second consecutive win and their 10th shutout of the year. TWU has now recorded 10 or more shutouts in consecutive seasons after setting a program record with 14 clean sheets in 2025.
TWU controlled the match throughout, outshooting UT Tyler (5-3-1, 4-2) 17-5 and putting 10 shots on goal compared to two for the Patriots. The Pioneers also held a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks and did not allow a shot on goal in the second half.
The Pioneers entered the match ranked No. 19 in the NCAA Division II IWSOC Top 25 and remained unbeaten at home this season. With the win, TWU improved to 4-1-2 all-time against UT Tyler and avenged the Pioneers' only previous loss in the series, a 1-0 defeat in Tyler during the 2025 season.
The defensive performance kept TWU at the top of the Lone Star Conference in goals-against average, with the Pioneers allowing just two goals through 12 matches for a 0.17 team GAA. TWU also leads the league with 10 shutouts and a .913 save percentage.
Lauren Wade continues to pace the Pioneer attack, ranking among the LSC leaders with six goals and 14 points while leading the conference outright with four game-winning goals. Luna added her fourth assist of the season Saturday, keeping her tied third along with Alyssa striker in the LSC in assists.
IMPACT PLAYERS
PIONEER POWER MOMENTS
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48': Halee Avery opened the scoring early in the second half, finishing passes from Landree Cooper and Bri Luna to give TWU a 1-0 lead.
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73': Mardie Frye doubled the Pioneer advantage by converting a penalty kick, giving TWU a 2-0 lead and providing the insurance goal.
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The Pioneer defense completed their 10th shutout of the season, limiting UT Tyler to just two shots on goal and preserving the 2-0 victory. The Pioneer defense took care of the rest, limiting UT Tyler to just three second-half shots and none on target. Faith Graves made two saves to record her eighth individual shutout of the season and 15th of her career.
FROM HEAD COACH BABAK ABOUZAR
"What a win. Faith came up with a huge PK save that changed the trajectory of the game. I feel that gave the team confidence that they fed on throughout the rest of the game. Even though we didn't score in the first half we knew we were right there. We started the second half strong and finished off a PK that continued to give us momentum. We had three players really step up today, Landree, Halee and Janelle. When their names were called they rose to the challenge which was great to see."
NEXT UP
The Pioneers will return to Pioneer Soccer Park in Denton, Texas, to take on UT Permian Basin on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m.
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