Harding Men's Soccer
Harding (2-6-2, 2-4-1) vs. No. 25 Fort Hays State (9-3-1, 6-2-0)
Location: Searcy, Ark. (Stevens Field)
Time: Saturday, Oct. 18 at 1 p.m.
Series: Fort Hays State leads 5-0
Coaches: Harding – Odie Guzman (12-25-7, 3rd Season); Fort Hays State – Brett Parker (43-19-8, 4th Season at FHSU; 64-30-11, 6th Season as head coach)
Live Video/Stats: Available through a link on HardingSports.com
Harding
Harding men's soccer plays its second straight home game against a nationally-ranked team Saturday when it hosts No. 25 Fort Hays State. The Bisons played No. 15 Northeastern State on Thursday, falling 3-0.
The Bisons enter the game in fifth place in the MIAA with seven points (two wins, one tie). Harding is two points behind Upper Iowa (9 points) for the fourth and final MIAA Tournament spot.
Harding has struggled over its last five games, going 0-4-1 during that stretch. After defeating Southwest Baptist 6-1 on Sept. 25, the Bisons have scored only two goals (both by Jacob Stevens) in their last five matches.
In the first half of games, Harding has scored seven goals and allowed seven goals. But in the second half, Harding has allowed 13 goals and scored only seven.
Senior defender Gehrig Haberstock has played 4,993 minutes in his Harding career. With seven more minutes, Haberstock will become only the fifth Bison to play 5,000 or more minutes. The other four are: Jackson Savage (5,955, 2009-12), Chad Marshall (5,739, 2006-09), Austin Brown (5,606, 2008-11), and Steve Hedeman (5,112, 2006-09).
Stevens is sixth in career minutes played with 4,964.
Haberstock is expected to make his 59th career start on Saturday. The start would tie Haberstock with Hedeman for eighth at Harding.
Fort Hays State
Fort Hays State enters the game on a seven-game winning streak. The No. 25 Tigers are 9-3-1 overall and 6-2-0 in the MIAA. Fort Hays State has outscored its opponents 34-5 during its winning streak.
Fort Hays State has eight different players who have scored three goals or more this season, including three tied for the team lead with five goals. Diego Cabral has four goals and a team-leading eight assists.
The Tigers defense has been especially tough in the first half. Fort Hays State has outscored its opponents 16-4 before halftime. The offense has ruled the second half. Fort Hays State has scored 23 goals in the second half to only nine by its opponents.
The Series
Fort Hays State has won all five of the previous meetings between the schools, including a 4-0 victory this season on Oct. 4 in Hays, Kansas. Cabral, Anthony Hernandez, Tanner Brock, and Daniel Molina each scored goals in the game for the Tigers.
