Searcy, Arkansas - The Ouachita Baptist University men's soccer team used a dominant first-half performance and a pair of goals from Nathan Buwemi to secure a 4-2 victory over Harding University on Thursday night.
Ouachita wasted little time establishing its offensive presence, putting pressure on the Harding defense from the opening minutes. The Tigers registered three shots on goal in the first eight minutes before breaking through in the 12th minute.
Andrew Castellanos opened the scoring, finding the upper left corner of the net with a left-footed strike off an assist from Buwemi to give Ouachita an early 1-0 advantage.
The Tigers doubled their lead in the 27th minute after drawing a foul inside the penalty area. Buwemi stepped up to the spot and converted the penalty kick, placing his shot into the bottom-left corner to extend Ouachita's lead to 2-0.
Ouachita continued its offensive attack throughout the opening half, adding a third goal in the 38th minute. Hector Ramos found the back of the net off an assist from Emanuel Castillo, sending a right-footed shot into the center of the goal to give the Tigers a commanding 3-0 advantage heading into halftime.
The Tigers controlled much of the opening 45 minutes, outshooting Harding 12-8 while placing seven shots on goal.
Ouachita carried that momentum into the second half, needing less than a minute to add another goal. Buwemi struck again just 56 seconds after the break, scoring his second goal of the contest with a right-footed finish into the bottom left corner to push the Tigers' lead to 4-0.
Harding responded with a pair of goals in quick succession midway through the second half, cutting Ouachita's advantage to 4-2.
Despite the Bisons' second-half push, the Tigers held firm defensively over the final 32 minutes to preserve the two-goal victory.
Ouachita finished the contest with a 19-18 advantage in total shots, including a 10-9 edge in shots on goal.
The Tigers return to action on Wednesday, October 14 against Southern Nazarene. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Kluck Field.
