SAN ANTONIO -- It was just what Midwestern State needed even in the driving rain Sunday afternoon at Benson Stadium.

Sophomore forward Payton Fookes drilled in a free kick to lift the Mustangs to their first win of the season in a 1-0 result over Incarnate Word.

"Payton stepped into it and hammered it to the back post," MSU coach Jeff Trimble said. "It had a lot of spin and moved into the top corner of the net. It was really nice."

The blast improved the Mustangs' regular season mark to 1-4-1 and to 1-0-1 in Lone Star Conference play after battling Angelo State to a 1-1 draw on Friday.

"This is a tough road trip," Trimble said. "Historically, this has been a really tough game for us. It was a very big win and shows how the Lone Star is a very competitive and balanced league this year."

The MSU starting back line of Berklee Dressler, Alex Edwards, Anna Molen and Alexandra Copp with a little help from senior Hannah Staley in the second half limited UIW to seven shots as the Cardinals were unable to get an effort on frame.

"The back line played very well," Trimble said. "We played with a lot of energy and we hadn't really captured that early on (in the season). Defensively, we played with more energy and pressured the ball better."

Incarnate Word (1-3, 1-1) was coming off of an impressive 3-1 win over Abilene Christian Friday night at Benson Stadium, but was unable to generate an attack against the Mustangs.

Trimble also lauded the play of Fookes and sophomore midfielder Katy Catney, who played in her fourth game since returning from injury.

"It was a good result," Trimble said. "We really needed this to help with confidence. I'm hoping this carries over. We're playing good soccer right now and we had three or four that we had to leave in Wichita Falls that had been playing significant minutes."

Midwestern State returns to its home pitch to take on West Texas A&M Friday night at the MSU Soccer Field. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. The Mustangs close the weekend against Eastern New Mexico Sunday at 1 p.m.

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