Thursday, August 27
Houston, Texas
5 p.m.
Louisiana Tech University
1-2-1, 0-0-0
1
at
0
Houston Christian
1-2-1, 0-0-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Tech | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Houston Christian | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Photo by: Houston Christian Athletics
Bulldogs Secure First Win Of 2026 At Houston Christian
8/27/2026 9:03:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Freshman Mackenzie Lorkowski has another career night while Matt Lodge earns his first win as Louisiana Tech’s head coach.
HOUSTON, Texas – Louisiana Tech came out victorious for the first time in 2026 in their road opener on Thursday, defeating Houston Christian, 1-0, at Sorrels Field.
Despite being outshot 15-8 and 12-2 in attempts on target by the Huskies (1-2-1), the Soccer 'Dogs (1-2-1) managed to pull off the clean sheet thanks to another strong performance in front of the goal and a timely score in the early stages of the match.
Senior captain Madison Pensom struck first in the 17th minute, scoring her second goal of the season and third of her career assisted by Ashley Leonhart and Abby Hanton. Five of HCU's eight first-half shots came after the score, but Mackenzie Lorkowski maintained steady defense with six saves in the first half.
That marks consecutive matches with six first-half saves for the freshman keeper.
Lorkowski added two more saves through the first five minutes of the second half before tying her single-game career high of 11 saves after a barrage of attempts following a corner set piece, making arguably the most crucial saves of the match with just over 15 minutes left.
The game entered a lightning delay with just over 10 minutes left and lasted around an hour and 12 minutes, before play resumed at 8:10 p.m. CT.
During the final 10 minutes Lorkowski secured her 12th save of the match, giving her a new single-game career high and putting her in a tie for the third-most saves by a freshman in a single game in program history.
The Bulldogs conclude their quick two-match road span in Texas with a visit to Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches on Sunday, August 30. First touch at SFA Soccer Field is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
Notables
Head Coach Matt Lodge:
"I'm so proud of the group—it's everything they've worked towards and earned. Winning is hard so we must enjoy and cherish each one, and that one felt special. The weather delay and sitting on the bus for an hour, they came off the bus ready to finish the job. Every player put in a shift against a very good opponent. The goal is to improve every day and we are doing that. Kenz, again, had a fantastic game and she keeps growing in confidence."
SUPPORT LA TECH ATHLETICS
Championships require championship resources. Fans can make a direct impact on the success of LA Tech Athletics through LTAC, Aillet Society, T-Club, and Young Alumni program as well as the CHAMP fund, a revenue-sharing initiative designed to directly support LA Tech Athletics through NIL and marketing opportunities for Bulldog and Lady Techster student-athletes. Visit BuildTheLegacy.com today.
BARK LOUDER
Our mission is to engage, develop, and advance the Louisiana Tech Athletics brand. You can do that by spending time consuming our content and by investing your talents. By barking louder with your time and talent, you can affect progress and brand advancement in a meaningful way. Visit LATechSports.com/BarkLouder today. You bark. We bark. Louder together.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in Bulldog Soccer, follow us on X (@LATechSOC), Instagram (@LATechSoccer), and Facebook (LATechSoccer).
Despite being outshot 15-8 and 12-2 in attempts on target by the Huskies (1-2-1), the Soccer 'Dogs (1-2-1) managed to pull off the clean sheet thanks to another strong performance in front of the goal and a timely score in the early stages of the match.
Senior captain Madison Pensom struck first in the 17th minute, scoring her second goal of the season and third of her career assisted by Ashley Leonhart and Abby Hanton. Five of HCU's eight first-half shots came after the score, but Mackenzie Lorkowski maintained steady defense with six saves in the first half.
That marks consecutive matches with six first-half saves for the freshman keeper.
Lorkowski added two more saves through the first five minutes of the second half before tying her single-game career high of 11 saves after a barrage of attempts following a corner set piece, making arguably the most crucial saves of the match with just over 15 minutes left.
The game entered a lightning delay with just over 10 minutes left and lasted around an hour and 12 minutes, before play resumed at 8:10 p.m. CT.
During the final 10 minutes Lorkowski secured her 12th save of the match, giving her a new single-game career high and putting her in a tie for the third-most saves by a freshman in a single game in program history.
The Bulldogs conclude their quick two-match road span in Texas with a visit to Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches on Sunday, August 30. First touch at SFA Soccer Field is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
Notables
- Thursday's result marks the first win of head coach Matt Lodge's Louisiana Tech tenure
- It is the first win over Houston Christian since 2009, and the first win in Houston since 2008
- LA Tech improves to 3-1 against the Huskies and 10-10-3 in all-time road openers
- Madison Pensom's two goals and five points thus far mark new single-season career highs for the senior captain
- There were multiple assists made on a single goal for the first time since 2023
- Back-to-back matches on Sept. 21 (Emma Jones, Kalli Matlock assist on Carmen Suarez goal) and Sept. 24 (Emma Jones, Madita Ehrig assist on Lauren Egbuloniu goal)
- It is the first clean sheet by a freshman keeper on the road since Ansley Ittel at Missouri State (W, 1-0 – Oct. 16, 2025)
- It is the most shots faced in a clean sheet since UTEP made 17 attempts in a 2-0 win on Sept. 19, 2025 in Ruston
- Mackenzie Lorkowski now holds two spots among the top 10 list for most single-game saves by a freshman in program history (T-3rd – 12 saves; T-4th – 11 saves)
- Five Bulldogs saw the pitch for the full 90, including Avery Jacobs who has yet to be subbed off this season, and seven Bulldogs played at least 80 minutes
Head Coach Matt Lodge:
"I'm so proud of the group—it's everything they've worked towards and earned. Winning is hard so we must enjoy and cherish each one, and that one felt special. The weather delay and sitting on the bus for an hour, they came off the bus ready to finish the job. Every player put in a shift against a very good opponent. The goal is to improve every day and we are doing that. Kenz, again, had a fantastic game and she keeps growing in confidence."
SUPPORT LA TECH ATHLETICS
Championships require championship resources. Fans can make a direct impact on the success of LA Tech Athletics through LTAC, Aillet Society, T-Club, and Young Alumni program as well as the CHAMP fund, a revenue-sharing initiative designed to directly support LA Tech Athletics through NIL and marketing opportunities for Bulldog and Lady Techster student-athletes. Visit BuildTheLegacy.com today.
BARK LOUDER
Our mission is to engage, develop, and advance the Louisiana Tech Athletics brand. You can do that by spending time consuming our content and by investing your talents. By barking louder with your time and talent, you can affect progress and brand advancement in a meaningful way. Visit LATechSports.com/BarkLouder today. You bark. We bark. Louder together.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in Bulldog Soccer, follow us on X (@LATechSOC), Instagram (@LATechSoccer), and Facebook (LATechSoccer).
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's SoccerTeam Stats
LTU
HCU
Goals
1
0
Shots
8
15
Shots on Goal
2
12
Saves
12
1
Corners
2
8
Fouls
3
4
Scoring Plays
Madison Pensom (2)
Assisted By: Abby Hanton , Ashley Leonhart
GOAL by LTU Pensom, Madison Assist by Hanton, Abby and Leonhart, Ashley.
16:28
Game Leaders
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
fwd
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
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