SEARCY — On a cold and rainy Sunday afternoon at Stevens Soccer Complex, Harding's seniors took center stage—but despite an inspired effort, the Bisons came up just short, falling 3-2 to Northeastern State in a hard-fought GAC/MIAA matchup.

The day began with a tribute to Harding's senior class, and it didn't take long for one of them to make his mark. In the 15th minute, senior Davis Weir netted his first career goal, floating a header into the center of the net off a precise cross from Roman Berry to give the Bisons an early 1-0 lead.

Northeastern State wasted no time responding. Less than a minute later, Marco Cornelio found the bottom right corner of the goal to even the match. The RiverHawks kept the pressure on, adding goals from Carl Murch in the 34th and 50th minutes to extend their lead to 3-1.

Harding clawed back into the match when senior Cian Halpin converted a penalty kick in the 54th minute, striking the ball cleanly into the right side of the net for his first goal of the season. The Bisons battled until the final whistle but couldn't find the equalizer against a stingy RiverHawks defense.

The numbers told the story of a relentless Northeastern State attack, as the RiverHawks outshot Harding 25-6 and held a 9-0 advantage in corner kicks. Harding goalkeeper Rinner Stewart turned away seven shots to keep his team within striking distance.

With the loss, Harding dropped to 2-10-2 overall (0-7-1 GAC), while Northeastern State improved to 8-5-2 (5-4 GAC).

The Bisons will close out their home schedule Thursday night when they host Newman at 7:15 p.m. at Stevens Soccer Complex.