The Bisons’ four-game road trip in mid-September ended with one win and three losses. The first out of the four games began with Drury University in Springfield, Mo., on Sept. 13.
During the last five minutes, Drury made their first and only goal giving them a 1-0 win over Harding.
The Bisons pulled through on the second game against Delta State University with a 3-2 victory. In the 81st minute, junior midfielder Rhon Royer scored Harding’s third goal, giving the team its third win for the season.
The Bisons have already topped their wins from 2010, which, according to Royer, is in part due to a new player formation that the team is using.
In addition to the statistics showing a change, Royer said that players’ mindset has also changed.
“I feel the attitude from last year has changed,” Royer said. “We come out expecting to win or thinking we are as good as the team we are playing.”
On Sept. 18, the Bisons played Christian Brothers in Memphis, Tenn. and on Sept. 20 the team played John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Ark., losing both games.
Twenty minutes into the Lyon College home game there was a 45-minute lightning delay. After the game resumed, Lyon College took the lead resulting in a 0-2 loss for the Bisons.
On Sept. 25, the Bisons hosted Lindenwood University and scored in the 57th minute just after Lindenwood scored its second goal. This was the Bisons’ first goal since their win against Delta State on Sept. 16.
In the first 30 seconds of the game, one of Lindenwood’s players and one of the Bisons’ players were both red carded.
“Both players were physical before that point which is OK,” Royer said. “But when they both went for the ball the Lindenwood player overreacted by pulling our player’s shirt and throwing a punch. I believe our player was trying to move away from the situation but the ref didn’t see it that way and gave both of them red cards.”
On Sept. 27 in Conway, Ark, the Bisons had a 0-3 loss. Harding had 16 shots throughout the game but Central Baptist scored twice within the first three minutes of the game.
The Bisons now have a week off before their first game in the Gulf South Conference against the University of Alabama in Huntsville. During that break the team has specific goals in mind.
“We would like to work on defending the second ball from set pieces better because that cost us in each of our losses,” Royer said. “We have also had a lot of chances to score but haven’t made the most of it.”
