Springfield, Mo. – After seeing a successful opening first half wiped away due to rain on Friday night, the Central Arkansas men's soccer team finally got to open their season on Sunday, travelling to Springfield, Missouri for a neutral-site match-up with Green Bay. The Bears took out their frustration at having Friday's start erased, putting up the most goals in a game and winning by the largest margin since 2005.

"Coming into the game today this afternoon, we had a strong focus on our team and our system," said UCA head coach Ross Duncan. "We knew that if we performed well, we would win. We've spent a lot of time and energy developing this system and when it's on, it is difficult to play against. We consciously didn't putt to much emphasis on the opponent."

The Bears (1-0-0) got the scoring started in the 19^th minute, when senior Wes Carson converted from the penalty spot to give Central Arkansas a 1-0 lead.

UCA would extend its lead in the 34^th minute, when sophomore Chris Holmes launched a corner kick into the Green Bay box, where fellow sophomore Daltyn Knutson gathered it and tapped it home to push the lead to 2-0 with his first career goal.

"Getting off the mark early was key," said Duncan. "We've got a lot of weapons in our attack this year, and they showed it today. We got goals from all areas: set pieces, midfield combinations and service, and pure individual effort. That will make us difficult to defend."

That lead would hold all the way until the 81^st minute, when the floodgates would open for the Bears. Holmes go in on the act in in 81^st, collecting a pass from freshman Jonathan Gilkes and firing a rocket into the top-left corner of the goal to extend the lead to 3-0. Carson would add another strike in the 87^th minute, when he fielded a pass from Blake Stricker and slammed it home to pick up the brace, and freshman Niklas Brodacki would join the fun just 45 seconds later, getting a feed from junior Dango Kumwenda and winning the one-on-one with Phoenix keeper Kyle Ihn to make it 5-0 with his first goal as a Bear.

On the day, Central Arkansas put up 22 shots and placed 11 on goal. Brodacki and Carson led the attack with three shots on frame apiece, while Holmes added a pair of shots on goal and Knutson, freshman Harris Partain, and sophomore Christian Ilia each put one shot on target. In goal for the Bears, Marc Olsen pitched the shutout, making four saves.

Central Arkansas opens the home portion of its schedule next Friday, hosting cross-town opponent Central Baptist College for the Conway Derby. The Bears and Mustangs will kick off at the Bill Stephens Complex at 7:30 PM.  "We will cut the game film up and find areas to improve," said Duncan. "It's a long season and we can't get complacent after early success. Friday's game is now the focus."