SEARCY – The Harding women's soccer team continues Great American Conference action this weekend as they host No. 9 Southwestern Oklahoma State on Friday at 7 p.m. and Northwestern Oklahoma State on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Lady Bisons head into the weekend in second place in the GAC standings.
Harding (4-3-2) is coming off a scoreless tie against Delta State last Tuesday. The Lady Bisons haven't lost in six games, with two resulting in a tie. Five of the six games have gone to overtime. It's the most overtime games the Lady Bisons have played in since the program began in 1998. Harding has played in four, two times (2010 and 2004).
Harding is led by freshman forward Audrey Adkison who has two goals and two assists.
The Lady Bisons will have a tall order on Friday with No. 9 Southwestern Oklahoma State who heads into the game with a 10-0 record. SWOSU also sits in the top spot in the GAC standings with a 3-0 conference record. The Bulldogs average three goals per game which ranks 11th in NCAA Div. II. Cori Kelly and Samantha Nunez both have five goals on the season. Josie Price leads the GAC and ranks ninth in Div. II with nine assists. Harding leads the series 4-3-0.
Harding is 4-23-1 against ranked teams. The Lady Bisons last win against a rank team was at Barry in 2006 (3-0). The last ranked opponent Harding faced was last season against No. 24 Central Oklahoma. The Lady Bisons fell 4-0.
Northwestern Oklahoma State heads into the weekend with a 0-11 overall record and a 0-3 GAC record. It's the first season for NWOSU in NCAA Div. II and the GAC as they were previously a member of the NAIA. The Rangers will take on Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia, Ark., on Friday before they come to Searcy on Saturday. NWOSU is led by Kaitlyn O'Toole who has two goals and one assist. It will be the first meeting between the two teams.
Check Hardingsports.com for live stats link for both games.
