CONWAY — The Central Arkansas men's soccer team concludes its regular season with a pair of home matches this weekend, hosting Missouri Valley Conference foe Bradley on Saturday at 2 p.m. before the finale against Western Illinois on Sunday at 11 a.m.
Though the regular season will come to an end, the Bears are guaranteed to extend their schedule as they have secured the No. 5 seed in next week's Missouri Valley Conference tournament. It marks the first time that UCA, which was a Division I Independent from 2006-09, has seen postseason play since the 2005 Gulf South Conference tournament in NCAA Division II.
Regardless of the outcome of Saturday's game against Bradley (12-4-2, 3-2 MVC), the Bears (2-9-4, 1-2-2) will be the fifth-seeded team in the MVC tournament, which will be held Nov. 9-13 at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.
UCA's first-round opponent remains to be determined, depending upon the results of Saturday's games between UCA and Bradley, and Missouri State vs. Drake. UCA could meet any of the three in the tournament's first round. Creighton has guaranteed itself one of the top two spots, resulting in a first-round bye, and SIU Edwardsville is locked in to the No. 6 position.
This weekend will also serve as the final games in front of the home crowd for seniors Joseph Cervantes, Damon Hymas, Andrew O'Brien and Jordan Prescott.
Cervantes, from Dallas, exits with 13 career goals to date – the most of any Bear since moving to Division I. Prescott, from Ruston, La, led the team in scoring as a freshman in 2008 and goes out with three goals and an assist.
O'Brien, from Spring, Texas, has made 60 career starts as a defender and contributed to nine shutouts. He has recorded one assist and taken 12 shots, with three on goal. Hymas, from Bentonville, has played in 50 games, starting 31 alongside O'Brien in the back line for the Bears. He has tallied six shots, with one on goal.
The seniors will be recognized prior to Saturday's game against Bradley as UCA looks to win its second straight MVC game at home after defeating Drake on Oct. 22.
UCA is 1-4 all-time against Bradley, winning 2-1 in 2008 in the only previous meeting in Conway. The Bears are 0-3 against Western Illinois, most recently losing 3-1 in Macomb, Ill. in 2009. UCA lost 1-0 in 2008 in the only previous meeting in Conway.
