Evansville, Indiana – The Central Arkansas men's soccer team opened Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday afternoon, heading to Evansville, Indiana to battle the Aces of the University of Evansville. In what would prove to be a defensive match, the Bears fell to the Aces by a score of 1-0 in double overtime.

The first half saw Evansville (5-3-1, 2-0 MVC) control possession early, as the Aces put up five shots in the first 15 minutes of the match. That would be all Evansville could muster for the rest of the first half, as the Bears took over. Junior Pepe San Roman gave Central Arkansas (2-4-1, 0-1 MVC) its first chance of the match in the 22^nd minute, firing a rocket just wide of the goal, before junior William Woody missed just high in the 32^nd. Woody would then give the Bears their best chance of the half in the 40^th minute, firing a rocket into the arms of Evansville keeper Frederik Reimer.

The second half would feature more balance, with the teams trading spells of possession throughout. Woody would open the half with a shot high in just the 46^th minute, before the Aces fired off a pair of shots over the next 12 minutes. Sophomore Joey Kampmann looked to have the go-ahead goal for the Bears in the 62^nd minute, beating Reimer and the majority of the UE defense after fielding a pass from freshman Niklas Brodacki, but the Aces got a team save on the goal line to keep the match scoreless. The Bears again looked to have a solid chance to score in the 88^th minute, but San Roman's shot glanced the wrong way off of the post, sending the match to overtime.

The first extra period was uneventful with Evansville getting the only shot on goal in the period.

The second extra period appeared to start innocently enough, with the Bears clearing a ball deep. It would fall to UE's Trevor Baum, who launched it back into the box from midfield to Kyle Brown, who put it away for the golden goal.

On the day, Kampmann and Woody each put a shot on frame for the Bears. Freshman Marc Olsen made six saves in goal.

"Today was an absolute battle," said UCA head coach Ross Duncan after the match. "Both teams went for it and we put each other in some really difficult situations. Guys came up big on both sides time and time again to keep it scoreless. This is a cruel game sometimes. To battle like that and lose it like that is rough, unjust. But that's how this game works; it teaches you hard lessons. Our guys are gutted. They played their hearts out for 103 minutes. Our resolve is not broken though; we are too strong for that. We've put too much into this, and the guys know that. They may be gutted now, but they will respond."

Central Arkansas will return to action next Saturday, welcoming #17 Loyola Chicago to the Bill Stephens Complex at 7:00 PM.