BOX SCORE || BETHANY, Okla. – Ouachita Baptist’s Bryson Rial netted the lone goal in Friday’s Great American Conference Women’s Soccer Championship semifinal contest to send the Tigers back to the title game as third-seeded Ouachita Baptist beat second-seeded Harding, 1-0, on Friday from Wes Harmon Field.
Following a scoreless opening 45 minutes, Rial, a Second-Team All-GAC midfielder, converted on a quick turnaround shot from outside the 18-yard box. The goal, her fourth of the season, represented her second game-winning goal of 2014. She also provided the winning score against the Lady Bisons (6-12-1) back on October 17.
The Tiger win marked the first time this season they had won a game with getting a goal from 2014 GAC Offensive Player of the Year Haley Hatcher. Hatcher finished the match with a game-high four shots.
OBU goalkeeper Lauren Llanes stopped all five Lady Bisons shots on goal to earn the shutout victory, the first of the year for the Tigers. In defeat, Harding’s Kaitlyn Miller, the GAC’s Second-Team goalkeeper,
With the victory, Ouachita Baptist (7-11-1) earned its third trip to the GAC Soccer title game in four years. The Tigers fell to East Central on penalty kicks in 2011 and lost late to nationally-ranked Southwestern Oklahoma State in 2012. The Tigers will face the winner of Southern Nazarene and East Central at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Ouachita Baptist split its season series with both teams.