231 ATHLETICS A Score of Fresh Air Women’s soccer player Briley-Anne Brown scores a record-breaking goal. As soccer season came to a close, the Harding Lady Bisons had a breakthrough play that propelled them through the end. During their Oct. 13 game against Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU), junior Briley-Anne Brown broke a Harding record with the fastest goal in the program’s history. After kickoff, the team took the ball down the field, and Brown scored 17 seconds into the game. Brown reflected on that moment, saying she did not realize she had just set a record. “I had no idea it was that fast,” Brown said. “I thought we had been playing for, like, two minutes. It was really exciting, just cheering with my teammates and stuff. We had been waiting for that for so long, and it was against one of the really good teams too.” Her teammates said Brown’s goal at the beginning of the game was a relief for the whole team. “We had been struggling to score for the past, I don’t even know how many games,” senior McKenna Moore said. “That was kind of frustrating for us, because you can’t win games if you don’t score.” Moore said the team came out in the game against OBU determined to score those first points. “That was kind of a pivotal moment in our team chemistry,” Moore said. “Because then it kind of was like, ‘Oh, yeah, we can score.’ We just kind of had some kind of block, but we can do this.” Junior Sophie Capitanelli, a team captain, agreed. She added that the first time the team played OBU this season, they lost in the last five minutes of the game. “We went and played them a second time on their field, and we scored [in record time],” Capitanelli said. “It was just such a breath of fresh air.” Moore said that record-breaking goal helped set the tone for the rest of the season. “We became more confident in our ability and more confident in each other,” Moore said. “We didn’t win that game, but I think the fact that we scored 17 seconds into the game was just kind of empowering.” Moore, Capitanelli and Brown agreed that the confidence in each other and the positive team dynamic made the season a great experience. “Everybody always has a great attitude,” Capitanelli said. “Everybody’s always super positive, super motivated. They want to be at practice. They want to get better every day.” Written by: Morgan Wrigley
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