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SWOSU (11-2-1, 7-0-1 GAC) at Ouachita (7-6-0, 6-2-0 GAC) Arkadelphia, Ark. (Kluck Field) Thursday, Oct. 22, 3:00 p.m. Live Stats SWOSU (11-2-1, 7-0-1 GAC) at Harding (10-2-2, 7-0-1 GAC) Searcy, Ark. (Stevens Soccer Field) Saturday, Oct. 24, 10:00 a.m. Watch Live | Live Stats SWOSU Weekly Notes

Setting the Scene
- It's a pivotal week for SWOSU Soccer as the team makes their final out-of-state trip for road matches against Ouachita Baptist and Harding
- The Bulldogs face Ouachita at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Payton Warren scored the lone goal of the match when SWOSU hosted the Tigers earlier this season
- A match up of unbeatens, and likely a fight for Great American Conference Tournament hosting rights, faces the Bulldogs in the form of Harding on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. in Searcy, Arkansas. The two teams tied 2-2 in Weatherford on October 1 as Cori Kelly and Eva Rule found the back of the net for the Dawgs

Last Time Out
- SWOSU clinched a Great American Conference Tournament berth with wins over Northwestern Oklahoma State and East Central
- Olivia Butler, Sarah Wilson and Charlotte Eastman each scored in a 3-0 rout of the rival Rangers in Alva, Oklahoma
- Eastman recorded a hat trick, and Samantha Nunez and Kelly scored one apiece, in a 5-0 demolition of the Tigers in Weatherford to remain undefeated at home

The Coaches
SWOSU: Mark Persson (66-51-12; 7th season)
- This is Mark Persson's seventh season in charge of the SWOSU soccer program
- Since taking over the program in 2009, Persson has amassed a 61-51-11 record, 
becoming the all-time winningest coach in program history. He also led the Bulldogs to back-to-back Great American Conference Championships in 2012 and 2013
- A two time All-Conference Coach of the Year, Persson holds a 29-9-5 record against GAC opposition
- He has coached one All-American, 10 All-Region players, and numerous All-Conference players during his time in Weatherford

Ouachita Baptist: Kevin Wright (29-25-3; 4th season)
- Kevin Wright is in his fourth season in charge of the Tigers after taking over the program for the 2012 season
- He has twice led OBU to the GAC Tournament Championships, claiming the title for the fi rst time during the 2014 season
- Wright has developed two GAC Offensive Players of the Year, six First Team and seven Second Team All-GAC selections
- Wright is 1-5-1 against Persson

Harding: Dr. Greg Harris (100-131-18; 15th season)
- Dr. Greg Harris, in his 15th season at Harding, is the longest-tenured coach in the GAC
- Dr. Harris is a three-time Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year, and earned the GAC Coach of the Year award once
- He has directed the Lady Bisons to the postseason eight times, including an NCAA Division II National Tournament appearance in 2004
- Dr. Harris is 2-8-1 against Persson

The Opponents
Ouachita Baptist (7-6-0, 6-2-0 GAC)
- The Tigers rank fourth in the league averaging 14.23 shots per game, and Hailey Hatcher is second in the GAC averaging 5.23 shots. OBU has scored 24 goals on the season, the third-best mark, led by Hatcher with 10
- Ouachita has a +4 goal differential, and the defense has given up 20 goals this season. That is just below the league average of 21.0 goals against
- Lauren Llanes is fourth in the GAC with a 1.66 goals-against average, and has collected four clean sheets

Harding (10-2-2, 7-0-1 GAC)
- Harding enters the match riding a 12-game unbeaten streak, most recently dispatching Oklahoma Baptist and Southern Nazarene 1-0 and 3-0 on the road
- The Lady Bisons lead the conference with 34 goals and are averaging a GAC-best 22.36 shots per game. They are led by freshman Bethany Sutherland who ranks eighth in Division II with 14 goals this season, 11th in total points with 31
- A stout defense, HU has given up just nine goals over the course 13 games, tied for the best mark in the league
- Kaitlyn Miller is tied for first in the GAC with nine shutouts, and leads the conference with a .862 save percentage and .63 GAA

Eastman National Player of the Week
- On the strength of her four goals and one assist last week, Eastman was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division II Women's Player of the Week
- Eastman scored the game-winner against ECU en route to a hat trick performance. All three goals came from corner kicks
- She assisted on Sarah Wilson's goal against Northwestern, and scored the final goal of the match in the last second of the game
- Eastman moved into fifth on the all-time scoring list with her hat trick performance, and is the career goals leader for defenders
- This is the first time a SWOSU player has earned the national award
- The senior defender was also named the GAC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in her career 

Checking the Standings
- The Bulldogs remain tied with Harding on 22 points with a record of 7-0-1 in conference play, though SWOSU has a better overall win-loss record. The two teams will look to break the deadlock this week in a head-to-head contest
- SWOSU and Harding are the only two teams so far to have clincehd GAC Tournament berths
- Ouachita is not far behind with 18 points and a 6-2 GAC record, and are the only other team in the conference that is sitting above .500
- East Central and Southern Nazarene are tied on nine points, though ECU has played one less conference game. They are set to fight for the final conference tournament slot
- Oklahoma Baptist has six points, and is in sixth place. Northwestern is still winless in league play, and sits in last in the standings

Bulldog Offensive Notes
- Nunez set the career scoring record (23) with her goal against East Central this past Saturday in Weatherford. She is just four points shy of Josie Price's career record of 59 
- The Dawgs have scored 30 goals and average 2.14 goals per game, both rank second in the GAC. SWOSU averaged just .78 goals per game last year
- Eastman and Nunez are tied for the team lead with seven goals scored and rank third among conference players
- Butler is now tied for seventh in career assists with seven to her credit after providing the cross that led to Eastman's first goal against ECU

Bulldog Defensive Notes
- The Bulldogs have been stingy on defense, tying for the league lead with only nine goals allowed all season. SWOSU has shut out nine of their last 10 opponents and only given up two goals in that same span
- Courtney Flores leads the league with nine clean sheets this season, and is second in the GAC with a .67 GAA
- A young defense marshalled by Kylee Bertrand and Dajhane Turner has given up an average of 10.1 shots, and has allowed just seven shots on goal to their last three opponents
- Adrienne Streetman picked up her first career start and win against East Central
- SWOSU has given up just nine goals, tied for the best mark in the GAC. The Bulldogs gave up 27 total goals last year

Looking Ahead
- SWOSU returns home to close out the regular season with matches against Southern Nazarene and Oklahoma Baptist
- The Dawgs dropped the Crimson Storm 2-0 in Bethany earlier this year as Erica Brunet and Kelly scored goals
- SWOSU beat OKBU 2-0 when the two sides met in Shawnee through two goals by Eastman