Macomb, Ill.-
The Central Arkansas Bears overcame all kinds of potential setbacks Sunday afternoon to notch a 1-0 victory against the Western Illinois Leathernecks.

The weather was anything but nice as the teams squared off, with rain pounding the pitch for most of the match. On top of the poor conditions, the Bears had to play 20 minutes in the second half due to a red card.

Yet somehow the Bears (2-0-0) were able to fight through the obstacles and secure a victory in a type of game that should seem familiar to Bears fans. “We were on the losing end of a lot of games like this last season, so it’s nice to be on the right side of a couple this season,” Central Arkansas head coach Ross Duncan said, referring to Sunday afternoon’s victory and Friday evening’s overtime win. “Our boys put in a really good team performance considering the weather and the fact that we had to play a man down. They really came together and worked hard for the victory.”

The match’s lone goal came in the 18^th minute, when Jaden Hoth fed a pass to Shafial Mason, who blasted the ball towards the goal. The shot was deflected by a Western Illinois defender and past Leatherneck keeper Yves Dietrich for an own goal. Of the goal, Duncan noted “It’s a fair call, it took a pretty significant deflection, but it’s great to see Shafial have some success today, he’s put in a lot of work for this program.” It’s fitting that Mason would be fed by Hoth on the play, as Duncan noted that “he [Hoth] did a really nice job in the midfield today, of both limiting their chances and defending our backside.”

The Leathernecks (0-2-0) had a slew of chances on the day but were unable to find the back of the net, taking 18 shots, but placing only four on goal against a Central Arkansas defense that refused to break. They were led by Charlie Bales, Erick Bloom, and Nathan Bruinsma, who took four shots a piece on the day. Central Arkansas’ offense also had a bevy of chances, tallying 19 shots on the day, with nine placed on goal. Ethan Miller led the way, placing three of his five shots on goal, followed closely by Mason who placed one of his four on goal. Patxi Shortsleeve collected four saves while in goal for the Bears, while Dietrich collected eight for the Leathernecks.

The victory means the Bears have already matched their win total from last season, but Duncan wants his team to stay focused, stating, “we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves,” noting that while his team excelled at making improvements over the course of the first two games, there is always something to be improved upon.

The consecutive victories mark the first time that Central Arkansas has won back-to-back games since September 29^th and October 1^st of the 2010 season, and gives the Bears their best road start to a season since 2009. The Bears return to the pitch on Friday afternoon, opening their home schedule by playing host to Lipscomb University. They then host the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles on Sunday afternoon.