The women’s soccer team found their groove just in time for Great American Conference play. After losing eight straight non-conference games, the team won four straight GAC games by a combined score of 13-3. By comparison, Harding was outscored 15-3 in the first eight games of the season.
Their first conference win was a 6-1 defeat of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark. Junior midfielder Audrey Adkison earned a hat trick by scoring three goals in the game, becoming the first player to do so since 2011. She also had two assists.
“Even though we had lost our previous games, we put them behind us and believed with all our hearts that we could beat OBU,” Adkison said.
According to women’s head soccer coach Greg Harris, the team’s turnaround came at just the right time.
“We needed a win, regardless of where it came from,” Harris said. “It was fortunate for us that it came against Ouachita and happened to be a conference game.”
After the 6-1 OBU game, the team beat conference opponents Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Northwestern Oklahoma State University and East Central University.
“There was just a switch that turned on,” Harris said. “There’s also a familiarity with conference foes. There are some things about conference play that the girls are used to. They feel a little bit more confident.”
Confidence also comes with scoring goals. The team is averaging 13.2 shots per game. Adkison is the team leader in goals and assists, with five and six respectively. As a veteran midfielder, she knows how to read the game and when to shoot or pass.
“Attacking by distributing is key,” Adkison said. “We’re connecting passes extremely well and have scored almost all of our goals off crosses.”
While Harris loves the goals, he is equally proud of the team’s defensive effort these past few games.
“We all want to contest every shot that other teams take. I see us doing that a lot more,” Harris said. “I’m okay with winning a game 1-0 or 2-1.”
Harris also added that winning is not everything. He coined a team hashtag #PlayForHim from an idea that the girls had been talking about and had put on the board on several occasions.
“We want to dedicate all that we do to our heavenly father,” Harris said. “We play for Him.”
The team currently stands at 4-9-0 overall and 4-1-0 in the GAC. The next game is at home tonight at 7 p.m. versus Ouachita Baptist University.
