TULSA, Okla. - The Central Arkansas Bears travel to a familiar foe, ORU, for the opening match of the 2021 spring season on Friday. The Bears are back in action after their Fall 2020 season which finished with three wins, including a 2-1 win over Arkansas State.

TEAM NEWS
The Bears played a total of 11 matches during the fall, and return nine starters after seniors graduated in the fall. Coach Jeremy Bishop will have a full squad to choose from for the first match of the spring season. Multiple players have picked up right with the same form from the fall. Emma Hawkins has looked sharp in front of goal, while the defense of Gracie Hair and Zoe Van De Cloot have looked strong alongside the likes of Haylee Hulse and Taylor Webb at the center-halves.

FORM GUIDE
It was a strong showing from the Bears in the fall of 2020, finishing with an 8-2-1 record. Which saw three strong finishes to the campaign, including six goals and a clean sheet. Among those final three matches came two away wins over Arkansas State and Missouri State. The Bears are strong on the road, holding four wins from five matches, with the fifth match a draw at SFA. In their five away matches in the fall, the Bears outscored their opponents nine to three.

As for the Golden Eagles, no matches were played in 2020, with their conference matches being moved to this spring season. ORU hosted and won a preseason match against Oklahoma Baptist on Jan. 23, that saw them as winners 2-0.

HEAD TO HEAD
This will be the fifth meeting between the Bears and ORU, with the tie being split at two wins each. The Bears have won the previous two matches against the Golden Eagles, with a 5-0 win last coming in 2018. The Bears also won the last match that ORU hosted between the two sides, with a nail biting 3-2 win in 2017. Gracie Hair was one of three freshman, now juniors, who scored in the 5-0 win in 2018. Alongside her were the likes of Taylor Webb and Morgan Rollow.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Emma Hawkins comes off a terrific fall season, bagging six goals and providing two assists, while getting conference recognition during the Pre-Season polls. Another Bear to watch out for is Gracie Hair, a defender who scored two goals with three assists from her outside back role. Hair is no stranger to finding the back of the net against ORU either. A winger for the Bears also made a big impact in the fall, Sydney Brough, who scored five goals in the fall season.

ORU is no stranger to scoring goals either, bringing back players such as Shayla Padilla, a midfielder from Wahiawa, Hawaii who scored four goals in 2019 while providing five assists.

HEAR FROM THE COACH
"It was great to be able to play non-conference matches in the fall, we won't have the same team because of a few graduates. But anytime you're able to play before conference starts, it's a plus," said Coach Jeremy Bishop ahead of the match against ORU.

Kickoff is set for 5:30 PM on Friday, Feb. 5 in Tulsa.