Conway – The Central Arkansas men's soccer team returns to action at the Bill Stephens Complex tonight at 7:00 PM, hosting regional rival Memphis. The Bears will also be conducting a canned food drive in conjunction with United Way of Central Arkansas. The first 50 UCA fans to bring canned food, non-perishable items, or personal hygiene products will receive a voucher for a free meal at Zaxby's.
The Bears are working in conjunction with the Bethlehem House, Community Action Program for Central Arkansas, the Conway Ministry Center, and the UCA Bear Essentials Food Pantry.
"We are working with local organizations to provide nonperishable food and some personal hygiene items to those in need," said UCA head coach Ross Duncan. "A big part of our soccer program is serving our community, and with World Food Day on Sunday and World Poverty Day on Monday, we felt it was perfect timing to give back. We are hoping for a good turnout and a big donation to these organizations."
On the pitch, Central Arkansas (4-7-1, 2-3-0 MVC) are coming off a 2-0 win over Evansville and a 1-0 victory at Bradley last week. Freshmen
Niklas Brodacki (2 goals) and
Marc Olsen (5 saves) earned Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors in the Missouri Valley Conference after leading the Bears to back-to-back Valley wins for the first time in program history. On the season, Brodacki leads the league and ranks 20
th nationally with eight goals, while senior
Wes Carson sits tied for third in the league with five goals this season. Sophomore
Daltyn Knutson is tied for sixth in the MVC with three assists so far. In goal for the Bears, Olsen ranks second in the MVC in saves (52) and saves per game (4.33) while sitting tied for third in shutouts (3) and fourth in save percentage (.756).
While Memphis (7-5-1, 1-2-1 AAC) doesn't play in the Missouri Valley, they've become a staple of Central Arkansas' schedule in recent years, with the Bears and the Tigers facing off in each of the past ten seasons. The Tigers have scored 1.54 goals per game this season, while surrendering 1.46 per game to their opponents, with both numbers sitting near the middle of the American Athletic Conference. Freshman Jackson Morse leads the Tigers and is tied for fifth in the American with four goals this season, while sophomore David Zalzman is tied for fifth in the conference with four assists. In goal, junior Jake Leeker has started all 13 matches for Memphis and ranks second in the American in saves (54) and saves per game (4.15), while allowing 1.45 goals per game and compiling a save percentage of .740. The Tigers hold an 11-1 lead in the all-time series, and won last season's meeting 3-1 in Memphis.
"Memphis is having a great year," said Duncan. "They've gotten big wins against some very difficult opponents, so they will be tough to break down. We've got a lot of similar opponents though, so we've been able to gather a lot of good information on them. As with all the games in this stretch of the season, the team that recovers themselves from the weekend most effectively will have the edge."
