SEARCY, Ark. — The Ouachita women's soccer team capped the regular season on a high note Saturday, pulling off a 3-1 win over Harding at the Stevens Soccer Complex.
The Tigers (7-6-5, 6-2-4 GAC) took control early with two goals in the opening 12 minutes. Less than 30 seconds after a crucial save by sophomore goalkeeper Taylor Hapgood denied a shot off a Harding corner kick, Ouachita transitioned quickly upfield to breach the attacking third and junior forward Reese Brown buried a goal to take a 1-0 lead. Following a foul deep inside Harding territory, sophomore Brookelyn Babb served an assist to junior midfielder Madi Vana to double the lead at the 12-minute mark.
Harding (10-6-2, 8-3-1 GAC) pulled within one in the 50th minute on a goal from Katie Jones. The Tigers wasted no time to respond less than two minutes later as Brown set up sophomore midfielder McKenna Wright to restore the cushion with a strike past the Bisons' goalkeeper into the left corner of the net.
Hapgood anchored a strong defensive effort with six saves. The Tigers outshot the Bisons 19-14 and used an 8-3 edge in corner kicks to break through past the top-seeded Bisons. Not only did the victory mark the Tigers' third win in their final four regular-season matches, but that four-match unbeaten streak came against the three opponents that clinched a berth to the Great American Conference tournament.
The Tigers return to Searcy next week with intentions to defend their back-to-back GAC titles. Ouachita opens tournament play against No. 2 seed Southwestern Oklahoma State on Friday, Nov. 14, at 2 p.m. The Tigers battled to a draw in both meetings with the Bulldogs this season.
