Memphis, Tenn. – The Central Arkansas men's soccer team took to the field for a final tune-up before Missouri Valley Conference play on Wednesday night, traveling to Memphis, Tennessee to take on the Memphis Tigers. The Tigers took advantage of a hat trick form Raul Gonzalez, taking down the Bears 3-1.
Memphis (1-5-2) got on the board first, as Chandler Klemm played a ball in from the wing to Raul Gonzalez, who took a dribbled and curled the ball inside the far post to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the 31
st minute.
Central Arkansas (1-8) found an equalizer in the 35
th minute. Junior
Wes Carson and freshman
Jacob Jerles each fired off a shot, but both were blocked by the Memphis back line. Sophomore
Pepe San Roman collected the final deflection, putting it away to even the score at 1-1 with his first goal of the season.
The match would remain tied until the 52
nd minute, when a foul in the Central Arkansas box sent Gonzalez to the penalty spot. Central Arkansas keeper
Harrison Veith, was unable to make the save, as Memphis took a 2-1 lead.
Memphis would add an insurance goal in the 63
rd minute, when Klemm again found Gonzalez, who completed the hat trick, tapping it home from short range to push the Tiger lead to 3-1.
"The guys worked their tails off tonight," said Central Arkansas head coach Ross Duncan. "The commitment level to stick to a task was there, but sometimes that isn't enough."
Central Arkansas took 10 shots on the night, placing three on goal. San Roman, Carson, and Jerles each put one shot on target. In goal, Veith made two saves.
"We had more opportunities tonight than we've had in any game all year, especially early in the match, and we just weren't able to capitalize," said Duncan of the Bears performance.
Central Arkansas opens Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday, travelling to Edwardsville, Illinois to take on SIUE at 7:00 PM. "We've got a clean slate in conference an beautiful opportunity to get off to a great start against SIUE on Saturday," said Duncan of Central Arkansas' impending matchup with the defending MVC Tournament Champions. "For the guys, it's a chance to reset and get rewarded for what we've been working for all season: conference. Nothing else matters."
