SEARCY — Harding honored five players during pregame Senior Day ceremonies Saturday morning before dropping a 4-0 Great American Conference decision to Southern Nazarene at Stevens Soccer Complex.
Prior to kickoff, the Bisons recognized 5th-year forward Davis Weir alongside 4th-year midfielders Brandon Southard, Jimmy Tuyishime, and Hayden Teixeira, and 4th-year defender Mario Alejo.
Southern Nazarene (7-4-1, 4-2-1 GAC) took control early in the opening period. Wesley Rodriguez put the Crimson Storm ahead in the fifth minute (4:45) on a breakaway finish off a pass from Bekir Lekic. Lekic doubled the margin in the 24th minute (23:56), heading home a cross from Pedro Belmont and Jordy Vasquez to give SNU a 2-0 lead at the break.
Yeshua Perdomo expanded the SNU lead to 3-0 in the 55th minute (54:02) off a setup from Miguel Duran. Francisco Chong rounded out the scoring in the 83rd minute (82:49), striking a right-footed shot into the top left corner off an assist from Essien Behn.
Harding (0-13-0, 0-7-0 GAC) generated offensive opportunities throughout the game, matching Southern Nazarene with 14 total shots and holding a 5-1 edge in corner kicks. Teixeira led the Bisons' attack with four shot attempts, while Weir and 1st-year midfielder Roy Santibanez added two shots apiece.
Match Notes
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In Net: 5th-year goalkeeper Andrew Wagenblatt recorded three saves while playing all 90 minutes in goal for Harding. Aimar Aramendia made three saves across 83 scoreless minutes to earn the win for SNU before giving way to Jackson Gallegos for the final seven minutes.
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Discipline: Southern Nazarene played the final 16 minutes a man down after Apolo Prater was shown a straight red card for unsporting behavior in the 74th minute (73:16).
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Shot Totals: Both teams finished with 14 total shots, with Southern Nazarene holding a 7-3 edge in shots on goal.
Up Next
Harding returns to action Saturday, Oct. 17, traveling to Arkadelphia, Ark., to face Ouachita Baptist. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
