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SEARCY, Ark. - The Northeastern State women's soccer team shut out Harding 4-0 Sunday at Stevens Field.

The RiverHawks (2-0) drew first blood just 2:22 into the contest when senior midfielder Elizabeth Cudjoe robbed a Harding defender and struck a ball to the lower left corner to lead they Lady Bisons 1-0.

Harding (0-2) nearly equalized midway through the opening half on a shot inside the box that hit the crossbar, but the threat was thwarted and the RiverHawks were able to add a second tally eight seconds before halftime.

NSU was awarded a second-straight corner kick with 20 seconds remaining, and freshman midfielder Mikayla Carlson calmly took her time and sent the ball into the box. Freshman forward McKenna Jetton found clearance and was able to give the home side a two-goal advantage at the half.

The second half proved to be as lucky as the first for the RiverHawks. Senior midfielder Kelsey Sheldon was aided by senior forward Jennifer Clark and scored with a through ball up the middle in the 51st minute of play.

Solidifying the win for Northeastern State was senior midfielder Stephanie Doherty from a pass to the middle of the box from Carlson to score the final marker of the game in the 88th minute. Doherty notched her first-career goal.

"Harding was much improved from where they were a year ago. They defended really well and caused us some problems in the first half," NSU coach Chase Wooten said. "Their center back did a great job of clogging the middle lanes. We had to the take the ball out wide, and we were able to find some dangerous crosses that way."

Freshman goalkeeper Jordan Woodruff recorded her first clean sheet in her college career. She made one save in the contest.

The RiverHawks outshot Harding 25-6 and had the advantage 9-1 on corner kicks.

"I was pleased with our result today because we were able to give a lot of younger players some game experience, and we were able to conserve our legs a bit," Wooten said. "We played well in the second half. I'm happy that we are able to take information from our halftime discussions and make the right adjustments in the final 45."

Northeastern State will continue action on the road and will meet East Central University (0-2) at 4 p.m. Sept. 10 in Ada, Okla., at Tiger Field.

Scoring Summary
NSU     2          2          -           4
HU       0          0          -           0

Individual Scoring
Elizabeth Cudjoe (NSU) at 2:22 (unassisted)
McKenna Jetton (NSU) at 44:52 (Mikayla Carlson)
Kelsey Sheldon (NSU) at 50:22 (Jennifer Clark)
Stephanie Doherty (NSU) at 87:29 (Mikayla Carlson)

Goalkeeper Saves
Kaitlyn Miller (HU) – 9
Jordan Woodruff (NSU) – 1

-GoRiverHawksGo.com-