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Schedule
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Matthew Sanchez
1
Rogers St. RSU (8-5-2, 5-4-0)
3
Winner Harding HU (6-9-1, 4-6-0)
Rogers St. RSU
(8-5-2, 5-4-0)
1
Final
3
Harding HU
(6-9-1, 4-6-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Rogers St. RSU 1 0 1
Harding HU 1 2 3

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | Scott Goode (10/26/23)

Sanchez's Double Delight Propels Harding to Victory over Rogers State

SEARCY – Harding men's soccer kept its GAC/MIAA Tournament hopes alive with a 3-1 victory over Rogers State on Thursday at Stevens Soccer Complex, thanks to two goals only 38 seconds apart in the second half.

Harding improved to 6-9-1 overall and 4-6-0 in conference play, currently sitting fifth in the conference standings with 12 points, just one point behind fourth-place Northeastern State. The top four teams advance to the tournament. This win marked only the second time in 10 meetings that Rogers State lost to Harding, dropping to 8-5-2 overall and 5-4-0 in conference.

The first half saw goals from both teams, with Rogers State scoring on a header from a corner kick, and Harding responding in the 31st minute with Matthew Sanchez's first goal of the season, assisted by Stefano Silva.

With the game tied 1-1 late in the second half, Camilo Porto passed to Josh Fulton, who lifted a shot over the goalkeeper at the 86:32 mark, giving the Bisons a 2-1 lead. Less than a minute later, Sanchez scored his second goal of the game.

Team Notes:
• Fulton and Sanchez's goals were the fourth-fastest consecutive goals in program history, only 38 seconds apart. The quickest were scored 14 seconds apart against Rust in 2008.
• Harding scored three or more goals in a game for the third time this season, tying Union 3-3 and defeating Ouachita Baptist 4-1.

Individual Notes:
• Sanchez had two goals in a game for the first time in his career (33 games), marking his first two goals of the season and the second and third of his career.
• Sanchez became the third Harding player this season with multiple goals in a game, joining Jonah Pastiroff (2 vs. Southern Nazarene) and Stefano Silva (3 vs. Ouachita Baptist).
• Silva's assist was his fourth of the season and sixth of his career. He leads Harding with 14 points (5 goals, 4 assists).
• Fulton's goal was his first of the season and the second of his career, also serving as his first career game-winning goal.
• Porto's assist was his third of the season and sixth of his career.
• Goalkeeper Alex Kirsten-Westgard, who came on at halftime, made five saves and earned his first career goalkeeping win.
• Jacob Hernandez, Seth Albritton, Tyler Sterbenz, Sikan Akpanudo, and Jimmy Tuyishime all played the full 90 minutes.

Series Notes:
• Rogers State leads the series 6-2-2, but Harding ended a six-game winless streak in the series, defeating Rogers State for the first time since 2019 and scoring multiple goals for the first time in series history.

Up Next:
• Harding travels to meet nationally ranked Southern Nazarene on Saturday in Bethany, Oklahoma, with the game starting at 3:30 p.m.
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