Conway – Fresh off a dominant performance in the opening weekend in Southland Conference play, the Central Arkansas women's soccer team is set to return to action with a pair of road matches this weekend. The Bears will face off with the McNeese Cowgirls at 7:00 PM on Friday night, before closing out the weekend against Lamar at 1:00 PM on Sunday afternoon.

Central Arkansas (6-3, 1-0 SLC) opened Southland play with a 4-1 win over Sam Houston State in Conway last weekend. Sophomore Camille Bassett led the Bears with a brace, while fellow sophomore Ashley Smith chipped in with a goal and two assists. Freshman Jordan Slim closed out the scoring for UCA.

On the season, the Bears are led by a dominant defense that ranks second in the Southland in goals allowed (7) and goals allowed per game (0.78). The Bears have collected a league-high five shutouts on the season, thanks to a back line led by junior Stacia Carroll and sophomore Kristen Ricks. In goal the Bears feature a platoon comprised of two of the best keepers in the conference, in junior Anna Hughes and sophomore Lauren Mercuri. Hughes leads the league in both save percentage (.867) and goals against average (0.44), while Mercuri is third in save percentage (.844), fifth in goals against average (1.07), and ninth in saves (27). Offensively, Bassett and Smith are tied for fourth in the Southland with four goals each, while Smith is tied for the conference lead in game-winning goals (2), and is tied for 10^th with two assists.

McNeese State (4-4, 0-1 SLC) opened Southland play with a 3-1 loss at Southeastern Louisiana on Friday before defeating Prairie View A&M 6-2 on Sunday afternoon. The Cowgirls have scored 18 goals so far this season, good for an average of 2.25 goals per game, both of which rank second in the Southland, while allowing 13 goals for an average of 1.62 per game. Junior Savannah LaRicci leads the Southland with 15 points and six goals and fellow junior Gabi D'Alesandro ranks fourth in the league with four assists. Central Arkansas trails in the all-time series with the Cowgirls by a mark of 4-5-1, though the Bears have won three of the past four meetings between the teams, including a 2-1, double-overtime win in Conway last season.

Lamar (1-7-1, 0-1 SLC) opened league play with a scoreless draw at Nicholls last season and fell to LSU by a 4-1 count on Sunday. On the season, the Cardinals have five goals for an average of 0.56 per game, and have surrendered 22 goals for an average of 2.44. Junior M.J. Eckart leads Lamar and is tied with Bassett and Smith for fourth in the league with four goals. Freshman Rachel Gries has started all nine matches for Lamar, leading the league with 59 saves and ranking second with a pair of shutouts. The all-time series between the Bears and the Cardinals is even at 4-4-1, with the Bears winning 6-1 in Conway last season.