Conway – The Central Arkansas Bears opened their final home weekend of 2017 on Friday night, hosting the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders at the Bill Stephens Complex. The Bears would honor the playing careers of 10 players, before falling in the match 3-1.

Central Arkansas (7-8-0, 4-3-0 SLC) controlled the pace early, getting shots from Ashley Smith and Jessica Pantuso, before a ball played in from the left wing was deflected by TAMUCC keeper Kyleigh Hall. The deflection fell to Smith, who gave the Bears a 1-0 lead from three yards out in the 16^th minute with her third goal of the season. Central Arkansas would continue to put pressure on Hall, as Alex Moore, Autum Schwartz, and Jordan Slim all fired off shots, but the Bears would get their best look at an insurance goal in the 44^th minute, when Kristen Ricks beat the Islander netminder but saw her shot knocked away by a TAMUCC defender.

"We put a good ball in and the keeper made a good save on it, but Ashley was in the right spot to come up with it and she was able to stuff it in," said UCA head coach Jeremy Bishop.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi would find the equalizer just a minute and a half into the second half, as a Central Arkansas foul in the box would send Brooke Erdmann to the penalty spot, where she converted to even thing s up with her second goal of the season. The Bears would turn the pressure up in the ten minutes following the match, as Camille Bassett would put three dangerous attempts on goal that Hall was able to barely push wide, and Stacia Carroll would head a corner kick from Hadley Dickinson just over the cross bar. The pressure would continue in the next 15 minutes, with Bassett and Smith putting shots on goal and Dayna Mounie firing wide, but it would be the Islanders who would find the match's next goal, as Erdmann delivered a header from 10 yards out. UCA keeper Anna Hughes was able to make the save, but Addison Urbanus gathered the rebound and fired to the back post, putting TAMUCC up 2-1 in the 81^st minute. The Islanders would add an insurance goal just 41 seconds later, as Abby Deakin worked through the UCA midfield and fired from 25 yards out, off of Hughes' hand, and in. The Bears would get solid looks from Moore and Schwartz in the final eight minutes of the match, but would prove unable to find the net.

On the night, the Bears outshot the Islanders 21 to seven and held an 11 to six edge in shots on goal. Bassett put all four of her attempts on frame, while Smith was on target on three of her four shots. Schwartz put a pair on goal, while Ricks and Moore each had on shot on frame. In goal, Hughes made three saves.

"That's just kind of the way the season has been going," said Bishop. "We've been playing well, we're giving ourselves chances, we're limiting the other team, and when you do those things, you're supposed to win the game. But the only option is to keep fighting, keep working, and to believe that if we keep doing those things that it will eventually go our way."

Central Arkansas will take to the field at the Stephens for the final time this season on Sunday afternoon, taking on Houston Baptist at 1:00 PM.

"We just have to keep believing and keep fighting, that' s all it's about right now," said Bishop. "We can feel sorry for ourselves, but that won't do us any good. We just have to keep fighting and keep giving ourselves chances. If we can keep putting 11 shots on goal in a game, it's bound to break."