Texas Wesleyan scored three goals in a 16 minute span of the first period on its way to a 4-1 win over the Wayland Baptist men on a hot and humid Saturday evening.
After the Rams had jumped out to a 2-0 lead on two goals by Liren Halle, the Pioneer's came back when freshman Jevaughn Vance put a rebound by TWU goalie Dejan Milosevic to close the gap to 2-1 at the 35:15 mark of the game.
Five minutes later, the home team extended their lead back to two with a goal by TJ Romaguera. Halle got the hat trick with the final goal of the game 15 minutes into the second period. WBU had one more good chance to get back into the contest, but missed a penalty shot about midway through the half.
Head coach Jamath Shoffner said that his team put its head down after that.
"We are a very young team without a lot of experience. We need to pick ourselves up and keep finding our identity."
The Pioneers had 13 shots in the contest, eight in the second half. Junior transfer Saman Hassan and freshman Keavin Faith had three shots a piece. All three of Faith's attempts forced a goalie save.
WBU junior goalkeeper Derek Bell faced 21 shots, making four saves. Halle had a game-high eight shots for TWU, and Milosevic recorded eight saves .
Shoffner and his squad will attempt to get their first win of the season on Monday at Dallas Christian. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m. The Pioneers will make their debut at Hilliard Field on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. against the University of the Southwest.