SWOSU Athletics
Doug Self, Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations
WEATHERFORD – Second-half goals from Hannah Burks and Hannah Dahl propelled the SWOSU Soccer team to a 3-1 victory over Harding on Thursday in the Great American Conference Tournament Semifinals. The win ensures the Bulldogs a spot in the GAC Championship match for the fifth consecutive season.
SWOSU won the match despite a slow start offensively, which saw Harding control much of the early going before claiming the early 1-0 lead on a goal by Nicole Morgan in the 21st minute. From that point on, however, it was all Bulldogs as GAC Offensive Player of the Year Sandra Nabweteme hit a strike past the Lady Bisons goalie less than five minutes later to tie the match and send the game to halftime tied at 1-1.
The Bulldogs controlled the second half, spending much of the game in Harding’s end of the field and putting up 11 shot attempts, including four on goal. Two of those attempts found the back of the net, first as Hannah Burks crossed over and fired a left-footed strike past the keeper in the 67th minute before Hannah Dahl made it 3-1 less than five minutes later as she scored off a corner kick, meeting it with a header that bounced off the ground and over the keeper to extend the lead.
That would be all the advantage that SWOSU needed as they continued to maintain possession from that point on and held Harding to five shots in the second half. After getting beat on a tough-luck goal in the first half off a corner kick, Kirstyn Dall locked down and stopped all three of Harding’s other shots on frame to finish off the win.
Now, the Bulldogs will return to the GAC Championship match for the seventh time in the past eight years and the fifth straight season, where a familiar opponent awaits in Oklahoma Baptist. SWOSU and OBU have played for the championship in each of the past two years, splitting those meetings with SWOSU claiming a 3-2 win in Shawnee in 2017 before the Lady Bison returned the favor by the same score in overtime last season.
“I thought we played well in the first half and then took advantage of our opportunities and finished in the second half when we needed to,” SWOSU Head Coach Mark Persson said. “Now, we have an exciting opportunity knowing that we have one game to play for a chance to return to the national tournament. We’re excited about being in the finals again and looking forward to the matchup on Saturday.”
Kickoff on Saturday is set for 11:00 am at the SWOSU Athletic Complex, where SWOSU is 2-1 in GAC Tournament Championship matches. The championship will be streamed live on the GAC Sports Network, with coverage beginning at approximately 10:50.