CONWAY — It was Senior Day for the Central Arkansas men's soccer team on Sunday, but the day belonged to a junior as Wes Carson scored three goals to propel the Bears to a 3-0 victory over Evansville, securing a postseason berth for the Bears for the first time since 2012.

"It's a huge result, that goes without saying," said UCA head coach Ross Duncan. "I thought our preparation for this game was our best of the year. I was optimistic coming in, confident our boys were ready. They were primed for that."

Carson got the Bears (2-13-1, 1-5-0 MVC) on the board just before the half, breaking the scoreless tie with his first goal of the day in the 43rd minute. It didn't take nearly as long for the second, as he found the back of the net again less than six minutes later, putting the Bears ahead of the Purple Aces (2-13-0, 0-6-0) 2-0 in the 51st minute. Carson completed his first collegiate hat trick in the 75th minute, giving him his 9 goals on the season.

On the other end, sophomore goalkeeper Harrison Veith had five saves, keeping the Purple Aces off the board for his second shutout of the season.

"Harry did a great job in back," Duncan said. "He had a big-time save in the first half when it was 0-0. The tide changes if that goes in and we're playing down. And Wes – can't say enough about his contributions. What a player. He's a guy you hate to play against, you definitely want him on your team. He's got this edge to him, he's not content being blanked. He needs goals. And Jordan Bates did a good job of organizing the back line. And Daylon Schiffel had a huge impact in the midfield. He took charge, was a general in there. He put in a really solid 90-minute performance. A lot of the credit defensively goes to him for organizing the midfield."

The win is the first for the Bears against Evansville in seven tries, and sends Central Arkansas back to the MVC tournament for the first time since 2012, when the Bears knocked off Bradley 1-0 in the opening round.

Before heading to the tournament, the Bears conclude the regular season next Sunday at Missouri State.

"It's big to get this result and get back to the tournament," Duncan said. "We felt the momentum coming through the year, and our guys never lost faith and that's big. They've kept coming in, working hard in training, pushing toward this result. Now we have to keep pushing and keep pushing because we want to make a good run in the tournament. Going up to Missouri State, it doesn't really affect seeding for us, but it's a big game because it's an opportunity to prove we can win on the road against a really good opponent, and it's a good chance to prepare for the tournament ahead."

Saturday's game was the final home game for seniors Jacob Campbell, Riley Cauley and Daylon Schiffel, along with junior Taran Meyer, who will be graduating early.