DENTON, Texas (Sept. 24, 2026) - The No. 12 Texas Woman's soccer team continued their record-setting start to the season Wednesday, defeating St. Mary's 1-0 at Pioneer Soccer Park to improve to 9-0 overall and 5-0 in Lone Star Conference play. The Pioneers' 9-0 start remains the best in program history.
TWU (9-0, 5-0) controlled the second half after taking a 1-0 lead into halftime, outshooting St. Mary's (5-3-1, 3-2-0) 19-9 overall and 10-5 in shots on goal. The Pioneers also earned five corner kicks while allowing two.
Freshman midfielder Lauren Wade provided the game's only goal in the 35th minute, finishing a combination from Whitni Newbill and Bri Luna to give the Pioneers a 1-0 advantage. The Pioneer defense held St. Mary's scoreless for the remainder of the match, with goalkeeper Faith Graves making five saves to record her seventh consecutive shutout and eighth of the season.
TWU applied consistent pressure throughout the second half, recording 12 shots and seven shots on goal while limiting the Rattlers to three shots and one shot on goal after halftime.
IMPACT PLAYERS
PIONEER POWER MOMENTS
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35': Wade opened the scoring after finishing assists from Newbill and Luna to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
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TWU generated a sustained offensive push early in the second half, putting seven shots on goal during the period's first 18 minutes.
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Graves and the Pioneer defense closed out the match to secure TWU's seventh consecutive shutout and eighth overall this season.
FROM HEAD COACH BABAK ABOUZAR
"We got a vital 3 points today against a very good attacking St. Mary's team," Babak Abouzar said. "We were able to limit their opportunities in the attacking third which is a very tough task. Lauren scored a great goal in the first half to give us the lead and we had a much better second half to close out the game. Our backline continues to impress and does a tremendous job in making life difficult for the opposition. What we've been doing this season is tough, however our team continues to take it game by game and continues to rise to the occasion."
NEXT UP
The Pioneers are headed to Wichita Falls for a Top 25 matchup with Midwestern State on Saturday at Stang Park. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
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