LONGVIEW, Texas -- Opening night did not disappoint.
In come-from-behind fashion, the LeTourneau men's soccer team won, 2-1, over Howard Payne to open the 2026 season Thursday night at the Joyce Family Athletic Village.
Marcos Gonzalez was the hero of the night for the YellowJackets with the game-winning goal in the 86th minute.
LeTourneau (1-0) was on the offensive most of the night, gathering 26 shots in the match, with 12 of those on goal. The first half saw no scoring but strong chances for both teams.
The best chance for LeTourneau came in the 34th minute on a right-footed strike from Karsten Guerra that deflected off the crossbar.
The visitors would open the scoring in the 72nd minute with a shot that deflected off freshman keeper Victor Velazquez and trickled towards the goal for Xzavier Saldana to give Howard Payne (0-1) a 1-0 lead.
LeTourneau did not take long to even the score. Just under two minutes later (72'), Karsten Guerra would blast in a left-footed shot off a deflection to tie the game 1-1.
LeTourneau had several close chances, but it wasn't until the 86th minute that they would take the lead. Aidan Arcega fed a ball deep to Caleb Nelson, who got a shot off from the left side that deflected off the right post. The finish came from Gonzalez off the rebound, giving Nelson an assist and LeTourneau the 2-1 win.
In the first game of the 2026 campaign, LeTourneau has already equaled their season high in shots with 26.
The season-opening victory was the first since a 5-2 win over the University of Dallas in 2023.
Victor Velazquez started in goal and played all 90 minutes for LeTourneau. Adrian Villa gathered 10 saves in goal for Howard Payne.
UP NEXT
Men's Soccer will host Schreiner on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 11:00 a.m.
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