ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita women's soccer team opened Great American Conference play on Wednesday at home with a 1-1 draw against Harding.
Like the evenness of the final score, the final stats of the game were almost as balanced with Harding (2-3-2, 0-0-1 GAC) holding a slight advantage in total shots at 16-14 and a 5-4 edge in shots on goal.
Ouachita (3-0-4) opened the scoring with a goal from
Fernanda Valencia in the 39th minute when she stole the ball away from the charging Harding goalkeeper and was left with an open net. It was her first goal of the season and fifth of her Ouachita career.
Jamie Fowler earned the assist after a long pass down the left side of the field on a breakaway just before Valencia found the net. It was Fowler's second assist of the season and sixth of her career.
Both teams had two shots on goal in the final 45 minutes with Harding's equalizer coming in the 48th minute. Perhaps the best scoring opportunity for the Tigers following that goal was in the 59th minute, when
Abbey Moore,
Paige Owens, and others had shots deflected right in front of the net following a corner kick.
Owens had one final attempt in the 62nd minute, but the Harding goalkeeper was able to get the save to preserve the tie.
Michele Snow came up with four saves in the game, including one in the 76th minute to avoid a potential go-ahead goal for the Bisons.
The Tigers are off this weekend with their next game set for Wednesday, September 27 against Northwestern Oklahoma State to close out a four-game homestand. Kickoff for next Wednesday's game is set for 4 p.m. at Kluck Field.
