New program has hopes for strong future The men's soccer team was the newest addition to the Harding athletic family this year. In its inaugural season the team surprised many of the veteran Gulf South Conference teams with impressive skill and speed. "The season was a learning experience and it was fun," graduate assistant Austin Carr said. "We see a great opportunity to have a fantastic men's program at Harding." Even with a team consisting of 13 freshmen and many players plagued by injuries, Carr said the Bisons were able to play well for a fIrst year program. The team fInished the season with a 5-1 1 record. "We expected the latter part of the season to be very diffIcult, and it proved to be exactly that," senior captain Mike Rainbolt said. "Still, it was very exciting to be on the first men's soccer team at Harding. The season taught us many lessons and provided a foundation for us to build upon next season. " The season highlight for the Bisons was the game against Missouri Southern. This ~r------------~11~e~n~'~s~s~o~c~c~er V Athletics top-ranked team was upset in a double overtime victory for the Bisons. "Thisgame was a foreshadowing ofmany great things to come in the future of this team," senior Drew Chap.dler, student assistant for the team, said. With outstanding senior leadership from Rainbolt and Marcus Wagner, the team stayed focused. "Several times during the season different players stepped up and were the leaders for that game, but Mike and Marcus were always the leaders of the team," Carr said. Each player was, in essence, a walk-on student athlete because no financial aid was provided. The team's goals for next season are to improve on their record and hopefully make the playoffs. "Our most important goal is to represent Harding in a Christian way so we can be examples to each team we play," Chandler said. - Mac Bell Sophomore Kyle Hinckley kicks the ball back into play after it rolled out of bounds. Hinckley ended the season with a .250 shot percentage. Photo by Daniel Dubois. First Row: Kyle Hinckley, Nathan Owens, Rees Jones , Michael Allen, Kurt Morris, Luke Thorkildsen, David Matamoro, Mario Caceres. Second Row: Josh Faris, Tim Miller, Nick Faris, Wes Tindall, Luke Boren, Mario Rosas, Zach Dameron, Kevin Hearne, Rene Rodriguez, Odde Faraj, Zach Johnson, Coach Franco Zengaro, Austin Carr. Third Row: Bill Ganus, Jeff Ireland, Mitch Jones, Marcus Wagner, Mike Rainbolt, Chris Jackson, David Shackelford, Tim Dawson, Michael Hovater, Jonathan Ireland, Josh Moore. Not pictured is Rigo Garcia. Photo by Jeff Montgomery. the team ... 1------
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