Peoria, Ill. –

The Central Arkansas men’s soccer program will make their second ever appearance in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Wednesday evening, facing off against host Bradley. Last season, Central Arkansas, seeded fifth, fell 3-0 to fourth-seeded Drake.

This season Central Arkansas earned the sixth seed in the tournament based on a 7-8-1 overall record in a season that saw them go 1-4-1 in conference play, while Bradley rode a 10-5-4 overall record and a 3-2-1 MVC record to the tournament’s third seed. The two teams met just three days ago in Peoria, with the match ending in a 1-1 draw. The Bears used an 11^th minute goal from junior Shafial Mason to control much of the match, but the Braves evened things up with just 28 seconds to play. Bradley outshot the Bears 15-8 during the match, but the Central Arkansas defense held the Braves to just three shots on goal, holding them to a series of shot attempts from outside the box. Central Arkansas place five shots on target, led by senior Ethan Miller, who place two of his three shots on goal. The quick turn-around to face Bradley again presents the UCA coaching staff with an interesting chance to implement some strategy. “I think we were pretty dangerous on Saturday,” said Central Arkansas head coach Ross Duncan on Wednesday, “so we’re expecting them to make a few changes. We’re just trying to anticipate those changes and prepare for them.”

In conference play this season, the Central Arkansas offense outshot opponents 81-73 but struggled to finish their chances, finding the net twice in six games. The Bears have surrendered an average of 1.17 goals per game in conference play, but allowed multiple goals in only one match, a 3-0 loss to then No. 24 Creighton on October 13. For the majority of MVC play, the Central Arkansas back line has been a strength, effectively limiting opponents’ scoring chances. Senior Zac Burns is the leader of the unit, playing in all 560 minutes the Bears have played. Offensively, the Bears are led by Miller, and juniors Taylor Hart and Manuel Montal, who have taken 19, 18, and 13 shots, respectively. Senior Cody Gibson has played all 560 minutes in goal for Central Arkansas, collecting 21 saves and compiling a .750 save percentage. Though the Bears are definitely excited about being in the tournament, they have a clear idea of how they want the weekend to go. “With the strength of our conference, anytime you qualify for the tournament is definitely an achievement,” said Duncan. “This is an opportunity for us to show not just that we can play with these teams, but that we can beat them and win conference, which is our goal.”

The tournament will get started at 3:00 on Wednesday, with fourth-seeded Evansville set to face Drake, the tournament’s fifth seed. The winner will move on to face top-seeded Creighton, who currently sits at No. 16 in the nation. At halftime of the Evansville/Drake match, Duncan and Bradley’s Jim DeRose will be interviewed. Central Arkansas’ match will kick off at 6:00 pm, with the winner moving on to battle second-seeded SIU-Edwardsville (12-6-0, 4-2-0 MVC) on Friday at 6:00 pm. Live stats and a live video feed will be provided by the conference, with links available at http://ucagameday.com/.