SHAWNEE — Oklahoma Baptist fell short in its home match with Harding University on Wednesday, dropping a 2–1 decision at the OBU Soccer Complex.
OBU (1–9–4, 1–6–1 GAC) outshot Harding 16–9 and had multiple, solid on-target looks throughout the two halves, but a pair of goals from the visitors proved too much to overcome.
Harding (7–5–1, 5–2–0) struck first late in the opening stanza when Sami Berry drove around a couple Bison defenders and fired to the lower-left corner in the 42nd minute to give HU a 1–0 lead.
Before that Harding goal, the Bison's
Sam Sheffield had multiple one-on-one opportunities versus HU's keeper Maysa Willis but both shots were denied. Plus,
Hali White fired a couple of times against Willis but could not find the back of the net.
The visitors then doubled their advantage in the 62nd minute. Defender Calle Citty headed home a corner from Kloey Fullerton to push the scoreboard to 2-0.
OBU fought back, creating several dangerous chances. Senior
Tiare Hermosilla finally broke through in the 78th minute, slotting home a goal from White to cut the deficit in half. The hosts found one more attempt, from White with 47 seconds left, but that shot went high and preserved Harding's advantage.
Goalkeeper
Jalen Cramer made three saves for OBU, while Willis turned away 11.
OBU held a 16–9 edge in shots and a 12–5 margin in shots on goal. The Bison also trailed narrowly in corner kicks, 5–4, and committed six fouls compared to Harding's nine.
On Saturday, Oct. 25, Oklahoma Baptist travels to Ouachita for a noon match in Arkadelphia.
