Conway – The Central Arkansas men's soccer team took the field at the Bill Stephens Soccer Complex for their final Missouri Valley Conference home match of the season, playing host to the Ramblers of Loyola-Chicago. The Bears also celebrated Senior Day on Saturday, honoring the career achievements of Sam Cusack, Logan Miller, Manuel Montal, and Matt Taphorn prior to the match. The Bears earned their first MVC point on the day, drawing with the Ramblers 1-1.

Central Arkansas (2-11-1, 0-4-1 MVC) got on the board first, as William Woody and Montal fed Miller, who slammed the ball home from 20 yards out to put the Bears up 1-0. "That goal came from a great combination," said UCA head coach Ross Duncan following the match. "We got a bit of a fortunate bounce, but that's a really tough ball to finish and Logan struck it really well. He's worked his butt off all season, so to get him a reward like that was really nice."

The Bears held the lead until the 89^th minute, when Kyle Thomson slotted home a penalty kick to even the score at 1-1, and send the match to overtime. "Our backs were great today," said Duncan of the Central Arkansas back line. "They kept everything in front of them until the very end. That goal was a bit unfair on them because tactically they'd been very sharp, and they did everything that we asked them to do, and they earned a shutout today, but unfortunately that didn't happen for them."

Each team fired off two shots in the first overtime period, and Loyola added another pair in the second overtime frame, but neither side was able to find the golden goal.
Loyola out-shot Central Arkansas 16 to 14 on the night, but the Bears held an 8-5 edge in shots on goal. Miller and Andre De Giorgi led the Central Arkansas attack, each putting both of their attempts on target, while Montal, Colton Jackson, Wes Carson, and Pepe San Roman each added a shot on goal. Jake Savino led the Ramblers' attack, placing two of his three attempts on goal, while Thomson, Eric Schoendorf, and Ben Crognale all had a shot on goal.

"Senior day is always special; our guys have put in a ton of work, and to reward them was cool to see," said Duncan. "Getting our first conference point is huge, because it keeps us in the hunt. We're all playing to get into the MVC Tournament. We need some help, but we've got Drake coming up, so today's point gives us a chance, and it gives us something to train for and to prepare for."

Harrison Veith played all 110 minutes in goal for the Bears, making four saves and allowing a goal, while Tim Dobrowolski made seven saves and allowed a goal for the Ramblers.

Central Arkansas will take the pitch for its final home match on Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM, hosting Oral Roberts at the Stephens. "Oral Roberts is an opponent we know well," said Duncan of the Bears' upcoming match. "We played them last year; we've always played them every year. They're a team that's very senior-heavy, they're going to be playing for a lot, but we match up well with them."