MARSHALL, Texas – Sending the seniors off in style, East Texas Baptist University dominanted Howard Payne University, 4-1, to close out the regular season with nine wins. ETBU is 9-8-1 and finishes the ASC at 2-3-1 for the third seed. The nine wins are the most since 2018 when head coach Chris Crawford guided ETBU to 10 wins. 
 
The Tigers honored seniors Brenden Gajewski, Luke Hunsinger and Diego Valenzuela before kickoff, then went to work for the three-goal win. ETBU outshot the Yellow Jackets 12-5, putting 10 shots on goal. Junior Lopez led the team with four shots on goal recording a goal and an assist. Lucas Arreguin had two shots on goal recording a goal, too. Matthew Aguilar and Aiden Fortenberry each had a goal. Ryan Lord faced five shots, three on goal, recording two saves.
 
Aguilar opened the scoring in the second minute to give ETBU an early lead, 1-0. Howard Payne quickly answered with a goal in the sixth minute to even the match at one. From there, it was all Tigers. Fortenberry capitalized off an assist from Lopez in the 43rd minute to send ETBU into halftime up 2-1.
In the second half, Arreguin extended the lead with a goal assisted by Gajewski in the 60^th minute and Lopez sealed the victory with a strike in the 71^st minute to make it 4-1.
 
ETBU will now face Hardin-Simmons University in the ASC Tournament on Thursday in Belton, Texas.