CONWAY — After a very successful 2018 campaign that saw men's soccer earn a second straight trip to the NCAA tournament along with a second consecutive Missouri Valley Conference title, the Bears returned to the pitch for the first time since December of 2018 as they opened up their 2019 spring account against nearby Division-II opponent Harding University (Searcy, Ark.).
In the first of eight spring games, the Bears hosted Harding University, a squad who like the Bears, has seen much success over recent years. This is a program that has seen their squad in the final of the Great American Conference tournament the past three years, along with a Great American Conference championship in 2016.
It was a great opponent for head coach Ross Duncan and his staff to get an idea of where his squad stands. The Spring season is also an opportunity for players to prove their worth and earn minutes on the pitch during the fall season as well.
The Bears opened their Spring account in dominating fashion, defeating Harding 6-0 on goals from Moiad Ankir, Kyosuke Kubota, Niklas Brodacki, Johnny Ramirez, Katsu Kimishima and Kasper Andersen.
After a 20 minute dry spell that saw few chances created, The 23rd minute would see the Bears take a 1-0 advantage after a through ball from Kyosuke left Brodacki one on one with the keeper, who would square it to Ankir for the easy tap-in. Ten minutes later, the Bears would double their advantage after great combination play between Vicent Abaso and Ankir put Abaso in down the left flank. Abaso's cross would eventually find Kyosuke on the goal-line and the Bears would go into the break with a 2-0 advantage.
The Bears would continue to apply heavy pressure coming out of the break. The 57th minute saw the Bears grab their third goal of the evening after a Soren Jensen flick from the top of the box put Brodacki in one on one with the keeper who this time, slotted it home on his own-doing. Nine minutes later, a Johnny Ramirez blast into the top left corner would give the Bears a 4-0 advantage.
A classic counter attack saw the Bears grab their fifth after turning a Harding free-kick into an isolation in the blink of an eye. Francesco would pick up a clearance at the top of his own 18 and play a long ball down the line to Kimishima, leaving him isolated with a Harding center back. Kimishima would beat the Harding defender and slot home for a 5-0 advantage in the 70th minute. Andersen would round up the scoring in the 85th minute after receiving the ball at the top of the box and cutting in on his right foot to strike the ball into the far post.
Duncan was thoroughly pleased with his team's overall performance and emphasized the mentality of this group.
"It was a good first outing for us," said Duncan. We've been training well but it's always tough to tell where the group is really at with their development until you get some outside competition. I was pleased with the mentality of the group going into the match. They took it seriously and gave the effort we needed. The performance gives us some good information about what we're doing well and what still needs to be done on the training ground."
