St. Louis, Missouri –

The Central Arkansas men’s soccer team was unable to find the net Saturday, falling to the Saint Louis University Bilikens 3-0 for their third loss this season.

The Bilikens (6-2) got on the board in the 37^th minute, when Robbie Kristo headed home a cross from Jon Roeckle for his third goal of the season. Alex Sweetin gave the Bilikens some insurance just after halftime, corralling a pass from David Graydon and putting it away from 19 yards out for his third goal this season. Kristo struck again for the game’s final goal, fighting through the Central Arkansas defense and firing it into the top of the Central Arkansas net, causing Central Arkansas coach Ross Duncan to comment, “They’ve got a forward that scored twice on us that’s really special, he’s going to be a pro someday.

The Bears (6-3) came into the game averaging 1.75 goals per game on 15.4 shots, but were unable to get anything going against SLU, taking just two shots on the night. Jaden Hoth and Michael Quinn each took a shot, but neither was able to put one on goal. “We had a shot from inside the box early on, that if that goes in, I think changes the game,” said Duncan in reference to Michael Quinn’s 21^st minute attempt. Of the game as a whole, Duncan said, “We struggled to get our feet under us. They did a great job of congesting the middle of the field and taking us out of our game. We made some adjustments, but nothing seemed to be working.”

In goal for the Bears, Cody Gibson made eight saves and allowed three goals. Nick Shackleford played all 90 minutes in net for the Billikens, but wasn’t challenged.

Despite the results of this match, and Wednesday’s match against UMKC, which the Bears lost 3-2, there is still optimism in the Central Arkansas camp. “If you had told me before the season started that we’d be 6-3 heading into conference play, I would have been excited,” said Duncan. “We’re coming off two losses, which definitely stings, but I think we’ve done some good work this season, which we need to build on.”

The Bears open Missouri Valley Conference play next Saturday against Drake in Des Moines, Iowa. Of the match, Duncan said, “Drake lost some players from last year, but they played SLU really well, and they just tied Creighton 0-0, so they’re going to be just as tough as the top teams in the league. This is the biggest game of the year for us right now.”