Conway – The Central Arkansas men's soccer team returned to action on Saturday evening, wrapping up a three game home-stand by hosting the UMKC 'Roos at the Bill Stephens Soccer Complex. The Bears overcame an early goal, but the 'Roos struck again with 19 minutes on the clock, downing the Bears 2-1.

"I'm really proud of the effort today," said Central Arkansas head coach Ross Duncan after the match. "To go down a goal early like that, it was really cool to see the guys responding. They didn't change a thing, they kept pushing, and our goal was well earned."

UMKC (2-1-1) grabbed a lead in the 14^th minute, when Diego Serfaty and Felipe Cepeda connected with Pandelis Popgeorgiev, who beat Central Arkansas keeper Harrison Veith from eight yards out to give the 'Roos a 1-0 lead.

The Bears (1-4) responded just seven minutes later, when Daltyn Knutson found Wes Carson just outside the box. Carson took a pair of dribbles and fired, beating UMKC keeper Ryan Tome to the near post and tying the match at 1-1 with his fourth goal of the season.

"We changed Daltyn's roll a little bit, because we've started to see a relationship form in the attack between he and Wes, and it paid immediate dividends," said Duncan. "You give a guy like Wes multiple chances, you know what's going to happen, and it's just reward, because he's been working hard for it."
Central Arkansas would look to take the lead for the remainder of the first half, firing off five shots, but the teams headed into the break knotted at 1-1.

The teams traded shots for the early part of the second half, before a Central Arkansas clearing attempt fell short and landed at the feet of UMKC's Roberto Albuquerque, who fired a laser that clipped off the cross bar and in from just outside the 18-yard box to give the 'Roos a 2-1 lead in the 72^nd minute.

"That goal was fantastic," said Duncan. "I can't say anything more about it. I'd love to have the ability to strike a ball like that and have it ricochet off the bar and in. There's nothing a keeper or defender can do about that."

Duncan continued, saying, "It's hard for a coach to sit here and criticize our guys for losing on a thunderbolt like that. It was a huge improvement from last game, and as long as we keep improving and making progress, it's going to be a great season."

The Bears were unable to find an equalizer, despite firing off four shots over the final 18 minutes of the match.

On the night, the Central Arkansas attack was led by Carson, who put two of his four attempts on goal, while Knutson, William Woody, Pepe San Roman, and Colton Jacksoneach put one shot on frame. In goal for the Bears, Vieth made four saves.

Central Arkansas hits the road for the first two matches of a five match road trip next weekend. The Bears will get a rematch with the Incarnate Word Cardinals at 8:00 PM on Friday, before taking on Houston Baptist at 1:00 PM on Sunday. "We weren't happy with the way we performed on Sunday [when the Bears lost 2-1 to Incarnate Word], so we're looking for a bit of redemption," said Duncan. "Being able to get back after them is nice. We've identified the weaknesses there, and we fixed a lot of them tonight."