Conway – The Central Arkansas women's soccer team found themselves in possession of a lead in the first half of the match for the third time this season on Friday night. Unfortunately, the Bears saw that lead slip away for the second time this season, as Tulsa put up a pair of second half goals to take down Central Arkansas 2-1.

Central Arkansas (1-2-0) staked itself to a 1-0 lead in the 39^th minute, when a string of passes ended with Shelby Wilson finding Autum Schwartz, who slotted it inside the near post for her first goal of the season.

"That was the best buildup of the night, and it was a great example of being composed on the ball," said UCA head coach Jeremy Bishop. "I don't know, but I would guess we connected eight passes before it got to Autum, and when you do that, you create opportunities because it splits the defenders apart and makes them have to chase. So if we will continue to do that; to stay composed, to make passes then that's the kind of thing I think that we can do."

Tulsa (1-1-1) stormed up out of the gate in the second half, finding the equalizer in the 47^th minute. Taka Dane fired a shot at the far post that was pushed away by UCA keeper Lauren Mercuri, but the Bears were unable to clear the deflection, allowing Anna Williams to slam it home from close range.

The Golden Hurricane added another goal in the 80^th minute, when Rachel Thun slid a pass across the front of the goal to McKenzie Adams, who slipped the ball between Mercui and a UCA defender for the game-winner.

"You know after the Little Rock game and tonight, it's obvious that the pressure is coming in the second half because their having to chase the game since we're leading," said Bishop. "I don't think it's that the pressure is too great for us, I think it's that we're just not being composed and completing passes when we can. We're a good enough team to handle that pressure, so we just have to be composed in those situations and connect those passes so that we don't have to defend so much."

Bishop continued, saying, "It was a great effort by our team tonight, especially some that haven't played at all. We have three starters out today, so for our team to come out with that kind of depth and compete with a very good Tulsa team, even though we're down a bit, is going to be very good for us as the season moves on."

For the match, Central Arkansas was on target with just two of its eight shots, getting shots on goal from Scwartz and Dayna Mounie. Anna Hughes played the first half in goal for the Bears, making two saves, while Mercuri made four saves in the second half.

Central Arkansas returns to action on Sunday evening, playing host to Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6:00 PM. "They'll be competitive, they'll be athletic," said Bishop of the Lady Lions. "If we do the things we're supposed to do and move the ball quickly, we should be fine, but they'll definitely push us, so we can't take it for granted."