Conway – The Central Arkansas men's soccer team returned to action at the Bill Stephens Complex on Sunday afternoon, hosting The University of the Incarnate Word for the second leg of the 2016 Southern Classic. The Bears and Cardinals played a well-balanced match on the day, winding up in a 1-1 draw after two overtime periods.

Central Arkansas (2-2-1) dominated the first half, putting up 11 shots, five on goal, while limiting the Cardinals (1-4-1) to just two shots. UCA got a pair of good looks in the 14^th minute, as freshman Harris Partain's attempt was saved over the bar. Senior Jordan Bates got a good touch off the resulting corner, forcing another save from UIW's Jorge Guzman. Partain added another shot on goal in the 33^rd minute, while junior Dango Kumwenda put one on frame in the 39^th minute. Senior Wes Carson nearly sent the Bears into the half with the lead, but Guzman saved his attempt in the 42^nd minute.

After solid looks from sophomore Chris Holmes and freshman Niklas Brodacki in the early going of the second half, the Bears finally got on the board in the 68^th minute, when Carson played a short pass to Holmes, who finished in the bottom left corner to put the Bears on top with his third goal of the season.

"That was something that we had talked to our midfielders about, playing the ball forward as soon as we win it," said UCA head coach Ross Duncan. "I think Woody picked up and found Wes, and he did a great job of receiving, facing forward and then finding our number ten, Chris, running at the back line. We're going to score a lot of goals this year if we can get our tens at the top of the box."

For the second straight game, the Bears held the lead until the 80^th minute, but the Cardinals managed to find the equalizer, as Thomas Bibby played a ball into the box for O'Neal Moore, who evened the match with his first goal of the season.

"You know the game is a funny thing," said Duncan. "Basically the same circumstances happened: we went up a goal, played very, very well, and they equalized with less than fifteen minutes left. So that was a big part of our preparation for today, was learning from the mistakes we made Friday. Obviously the result stings, because we felt like we had the win, we felt like we got the game-winner in overtime, so the frustration is definitely there. But the pride as a coach, seeing a team that is composed of a lot of young men, grow in less than 24 hours, and learn from those experiences is huge, and is going to serve us very well down the road."

Neither side was able to find the game-winner in the remaining time in regulation, sending the match to overtime. With seconds left on the clock in the first extra period, it appeared as though the Bears had found the golden goal, when junior Pepe San Roman fired a laser from 20 yards that ricocheted off the crossbar and down, appearing to be over the goal line. The UCA bench erupted in celebration, only to suddenly go quiet the shot war ruled to be still in play and the linesman raised his flag to signal offsides on the follow up attempt from Carson.

UIW had a dangerous chance as time wound down in the second extra period, as Ben Conway broke through the back line, but freshman Marc Olsen was there to make the save and preserve the draw.

"Credit to our guys, because that's such an emotional change," said Duncan. "You think you've got it won, and we truly felt like that shot was over the line, so for our guys to pick themselves up and go after UIW in the second overtime to create some other great chances to win the game is huge for us."

On the day, UCA got a pair of shots on goal from both Kumwenda and Partain, while Bates, Carson, Holmes, and Brodacki each added a single shot on frame. In goal for the Bears, Olsen made six saves.

Oral Roberts and Houston Baptist will finish the Southern Classic off tonight at 6:00 PM in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with an all-tournament team to be announced following the conclusion of the match.

Central Arkansas and Incarnate Word will square off again next Saturday, taking to the pitch in San Antonio, Texas at 7:00 PM.

"That's kind of a funny scheduling deal, playing the same team twice in less than a week, but I felt like today was a great match," said Duncan. "They came into the game late, but I feel like we dominated early, so I think it'll come down to who can make big plays on Saturday night, and who's got a bit more quality on the day. So rest, preparation, and fatigue management will be huge for us."