Conway – The Central Arkansas men's soccer team returned to action on Tuesday night, stepping out of Missouri Valley Conference play to take on regional rival Lipscomb at the Bill Stephens Soccer Complex. The Bears and the Bisons played to a 2-2 draw in regulation, before Lipscomb found the golden goal in the first overtime period for the 3-2 win.

Lipscomb (9-3-1) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third minute, when Ivan Alvarado connected with Matt Kerridge who dribbled through the Central Arkansas (2-11-0) defense and fired a shot home from 13 yards out.

The Bears found an equalizer just five minutes later. Manuel Montal lofted a free kick into the box, just over a leaping Bison defender and just out of reach of the keeper, to the feet of Jordan Bates, who volleyed it home to knot the score at 1-1.

Central Arkansas took the lead in the 30^th minute, as Alejandro Moquete took advantage of a deflection off of Lipscomb keeper Nate Davis and scored from four yards out to put the Bears in front 2-1. "Not only did we have goals today, but we created so many chances," said UCA head coach Ross Duncan following the match. "That's what we've been working for, and we finally got it, and it didn't turn into the result we were looking for, so that's frustrating. But we had some guys step up today and create multiple chances to win, and maybe even put the game out of reach, but we didn't finish, and they got back into it, and that's just what happens sometimes."

Lipscomb evened the score in the 79^th minute, as Kerridge returned the favor, feeding Alvarado as he slid through the UCA backline to fire a shot home from 10 yards out.
Neither team was able to find a game-winner during the remainder of regulation, sending the match to overtime, where Kerridge found the golden goal, dribbling into the Central Arkansas box and slotting the ball into the top-right corner to give Lipscomb the win.

Central Arkansas took 20 shots on the night, placing seven on goal. The Bears were led by Bates and Wes Carson, who each placed two of their three attempts on target. Moquete, Logan Miller, and Andre De Giorgi each added a shot on frame. Lipscomb took 18 shots in the match and put eight on frame, led by Kerridge's two shots on goal.

Davis earned the win for Lipscomb on the back of five saves and two goals allowed, while Taran Meyer made four saves and allowed three goals while suffering the loss. "We put Taran in because we had trust in him and wanted to give him a shot, and he stepped up and performed well on crosses and came out well on their through balls, so we just have to fix some other things to limit the chances against him, but he did a good job," said Duncan.

The Bears return to MVC play on Saturday afternoon, hosting Loyola at 2:00 PM at the Stephens. The Bears will be celebrating Senior Day, honoring the career achievements of Matt Taphorn, Logan Miller, Sam Cusack, and Manu Montal. "Loyola has struggled away from home this year, so that's going to give us a nice advantage," said Duncan of the Bears' upcoming match. "We've got Logan back in the mix and we've got some other guys that are going to step up, so we're excited for the match and for Senior Day."