By CONNOR GRAY, Assistant Editor
The Northwestern soccer team secured a spot in the GAC tournament with a win and a tie over its previous two opponents.
The Rangers played against Harding, which won 5-2 in its first match-up on Oct. 7, and the team was looking for revenge.
The team got payback in a 4-1 rout of the Bisons in a game where the wind was blowing more than 30 mph.
The Rangers got their first two goals in the first half from Kailani Kealoha, a senior midfielder.
Kealoha scored her first collegiate goal off a Ranger corner kick into the back of the net 15 minutes into the game.
Her second goal came six minutes later by using the wind to carry it past the goalie.
“I was just like, ‘Get in the box, and hopefully the wind would take it in,’” Kealoha said.
The Rangers gave up a goal at the 32-minute mark, but that was all Harding would get as the Bisons struggled against the defense.
The Rangers dominated the second half offense and defense. The defense stopped Harding’s strikers as they blocked, kicked and stole the ball at any opportunity and forced the Bisons to make tough goal attempts.
“I felt like we really connected in this game, and everybody was talking and communicating well, and we played great defense,” said goalkeeper Reagan Allen.
The Rangers’ counter attack caught the Bisons off guard as Reilly Marks and Isabella McMillan scored goals and pressured Harding.
“Scoring four goals is tough, but I was more impressed with our second half effort,” Northwestern soccer coach Alex Piekarski said.
He said he is proud of his defensive players making things difficult for Harding, and that he could not be happier with them.
The Rangers’ game against the Ouachita Baptist Tigers ended in a 1-1 tie with a goal scored in each half.
Ouachita Baptist struck first with a goal at the 36th minute of play in the first half after the Tigers shot past Allen.
After that goal, the Rangers’ defense dug in and shut the Tigers down.
The Rangers answered back in the 74th minute of play with an assist from Sydne Edmiston and the goal by McMillan.
Despite outshooting the Tigers in the second half and both overtimes, the Rangers did not get another goal.
The Rangers outshot the Tigers 32-20, with 18 shots being on goal. The Tigers had 20 shots, with 14 being on target and Allen saving 13 of them.
Northwestern’s last two games will be Nov. 4 in Alva against Southern Nazarene and Nov. 6 in Shawnee against Oklahoma Baptist.
The game against Southern Nazarene will begin at 6 p.m.
