CONWAY, ARK.  –  It was all smiles as Central Arkansas women's soccer tasted victory for the first time this season as they defeated Louisiana Monroe 4-0. Attacking play was at a premium for the Bears tonight as they found the back of the net four times along with conceding zero goals on the other end, giving them their first shutout of the year. 
 
First Half
 

• The Bears created the first scoring opportunity four minutes into the match when Lily Sultan forced a save from ULM keeper Rian Kasner on a strike that was headed for the bottom right corner. 
• The 16th minute saw the Bears take a 1-0 advantage after Emma Hawkins' initial strike was parried right into the path of Conniue Awuku-Darkoh, who followed up and hammered it into an open net. 
• Hadley Dickinson would nearly grab the second goal for the Bears after her 22nd minute strike into the bottom left corner forced another save from Kasner. 
• Morgan Hurd joined the attacking party in the 31st minute, nearly scoring a wonder goal from about 25 yards out, but again Kasner was equal to it and denied the Bears from doubling their advantage. 

 
Second Half
 

• Less than 30 seconds into the second half, UCA earned a penalty kick after a handball was called. Freshman Emma Hawkins stepped up and converted from 12 yards, scoring her first goal as a Bear and doubling the advantage in the match. 
• The 58th minute saw the Bears score their third goal of the evening and Connie Awuku-Darkoh grab her second goal of the night in the 58th minute after a spectacular double save from Kasner denied Gracie Hair and Awuku-Darkoh. It wasn't enough as the second save was again parried into the path of Awuku-Darkoh, who calmly caressed it into an empty net.
• Lauren Hargus made it four for the Bears in the 72nd minute after a beautiful finish from inside the penalty area found its way into the bottom left corner. Gracie Hair put it on a plate for Hargus, finding her on a great lofted ball across the box and Hargus took care of the rest. 

 
The Bears finished the match with 36 total shots, striking 15 of them on frame while only allowing one total shot for the Warhawks in this match. 
 
Coach Bishop Quotes
 
"It's great to get the first win. I feel like we deserved better in a couple other matches but we kept working and didn't get discouraged which is great, but most importantly it's great to see us improving and getting better. We played a complete game tonight, defended well and created a lot of scoring chances. Now we got to keep it going, Memphis is a top 20 team in the country so Sunday will be difficult but I know we will keep fighting and improving."
 
On Deck
 
The Bears return to action Sunday afternoon as they host Memphis. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 PM. Follow the Bears on social media @UCAWomensSoccer on Twitter and @ucawsoccer on Instagram for more updates.