Harding Men's Soccer
Harding (2-7-3, 2-5-1) vs. Southwest Baptist (0-13-0, 0-8-0)
Location: Searcy, Ark.
Time: Thursday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m.
Series: Harding leads 3-1-1
Coaches: Harding - Odie Guzman (12-26-8, 3rd Season); Southwest Baptist – Chris Dinwiddie (3-42-2, 3rd Season at SBU)
Live Stats/Video: Available through a link on HardingSports.com
Harding
Harding's last victory of the 2014 season came against Southwest Baptist on Sept. 25. The Bisons will be in search of another against the Bearcats on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Searcy.
Harding won the first meeting 6-1 in Bolivar, Missouri, and received goals from five different players, including two from senior Cole Walker. Since that victory, the Bisons have scored only two goals in the next seven games.
Harding did not score Tuesday against Ouachita Baptist but held the Tigers without a goal as well in a 0-0 road tie. It was the Bisons' first shutout in 15 games and the first career shutout for Harding redshirt freshman goalkeeper Thomas Shults.
Senior Jacob Stevens has scored both of the Bisons' last two goals and continues to lead the squad with five goals on the season. Eight different players have one assist. Stevens has scored on five of his seven shots on goal.
Thursday's game is key for Harding in its attempt to reach its first MIAA Tournament. The Bisons enter the game with seven points in MIAA games (two wins, one tie) and are in fifth place, five points back of Upper Iowa for the fourth tournament spot. Harding leads sixth-place Southern Nazarene by one point.
Southwest Baptist
Southwest Baptist has struggled this season and enters the game with a 0-13-0 record. The Bearcats have scored 13 goals but have allowed 56.
Justin Schaeffer, a senior from Lee's Summit, Missouri, has scored five of Southwest Baptist's 13 goals, including the one the Bearcats scored against Harding in the first game this season.
Southwest Baptist yields 4.31 goals per game, second-highest in NCAA Division II.
The Series
Harding leads the series with Southwest Baptist 3-1-1 and has won the last two games by a combined score of 10-1. The Bisons are 2-0 against the Bearcats in Searcy and have a 9-0 goals advantage.
