Peoria, Ill. – The Central Arkansas men's soccer team returned to Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday night, travelling to Peoria, Illinois to take on the Braves of Bradley University. The Bears put forth a strong effort that ultimately fell short, as Bradly got a last-minute goal to secure the victory.
Though Bradley (6-7-0, 1-3-0 MVC) held a 22-10 advantage in shots on the night, Central Arkansas (2-10-0, 0-4-0 MVC) limited the Braves' quality chances, allowing just seven shots on goal while taking two of their own. "The boys played their hearts out," said head coach Ross Duncan of the Bears' effort on the night. "The mental response from our midweek game was unbelievable. They responded really well, and we had some guys step up, which was really good to see."
The Bears and the Braves were scoreless until the 88
th minute, when Grant Bell and Andrew Kovacevic connected with Jason Lesch, who flicked a header into the Central Arkansas net for the game-winner.
Lesch, Bell, and Clark Emerson each had a pair of shots on goal for Bradley, while Christian Okeke added one.
Dylan Brog and
Jordan Bates both put a shot on frame for the Bears, who also saw
Blake Strickerr and
Wes Carson attempt two shots each.
"They guys showed that they've got enough heart to win a whole lot of soccer games in their careers," said Duncan. "While that's not happening yet, I truly believe that this is a group that is just waiting for that special moment to get everything going and get everything on a roll."
Logan Ketterer made two saves to get the win for Bradley while
Harrison Veith made five saves and suffered the loss. The Bears also got a team save out of their back line.
Central Arkansas starts a three-game home stand on Tuesday evening, hosting regional opponent Lipscomb at the Stephens at 5:00 PM. Duncan said his team is geared up for the stand, saying, "We've got five games left, and I feel like those opponents should be worried, because it's like we've just woken up from a slumber. We're going to be a hard team to handle from here on out."
