CONWAY, Ark. - The Central Arkansas Bears played top notch soccer in their 2-1 victory over the Roos of Kansas City. The Bears, led by freshman Rubyn Singh Gill's two goals off set pieces, won a crucial match to move to 4-6-1 over the fall and this spring.

The Bears set up in a similar 5-4-1, with two wing backs and a compact midfield carried possession and had major chances over their counterpart.

FIRST HALF - FROSTY TIPS AND FROZEN FEET

The match started slow on the frozen ground, but soon saw things liven up when a challenge was put in on Edoardo Merci who would have to leave the pitch, but be able to return just a few minutes later.

The Roos from Kansas City would have the first chance of the match in the 10th minute when Zach Schawl was called into action making the save. The Bears responded when Rowan Laufer fired a ball towards goal, taking a deflection and forcing the Kansas City goalkeeper into a difficult save. Central Arkansas took advantage of dominating the play when Edoardo Merci sent a lovely cross into the box, which was tucked away by Rubyn Singh Gill.

The Roos of Kansas City were issued two yellow cards shortly after Gill's goal which allowed the Bears to gain more momentum up to halftime. Ilya Busaev made a goal saving tackle late into the first half, which kept the Roos out of the first 45 minutes.

SECOND HALF - BALANCE AND COMMITMENT

The Bears controlled the start of the second half with major pressure including a shot on target from Katsuyoshi Kimishima which was saved. A quick counter attack by Ilya Busaev led to a corner kick which was swung in by Edoardo Merci. After a few heads went up, the ball fell kindly to Rowan Laufer who laid it off to a wide open Rubyn Singh Gill who finished the move with a right footed shot into the bottom left corner. Gill's second goal doubled the Bears advantage early in the second half. 

The Bears first booking came in the 64th minute when Bradyn Knutson made a 50/50 tackle just a little late and was called for a foul. Kansas City would draw one back just a few minutes later after the ball was failed to be cleared by the Bears and toe-poked in by a Kansas City forward.

The Bears saw out the final minutes of the full 90 with solid defensive play by the entire Central Arkansas team.

HEAR FROM THE COACH

"That was an important result for us. We knew they would find ways to make the game difficult for us and I felt like we dealt with those well for the most part. Getting two goals off set pieces was also important. That's something we targeted before this match because I felt we were poor last match with ours. A lot of guys deserve credit for good performances today. We worked hard and earned a tough win," said a positive Coach Ross Duncan.

HEAR FROM THE PLAYERS

"It was an important win today after a hurtful loss on Wednesday, so I'm glad the team put things right. Hopefully we can build momentum going forward off this and make it a great season," said Rubyn Singh Gill, who scored a pair for the Bears.

"Winning always feels good, we'll all enjoy it for a little and then focus on the next game. It's always important for the team to respond to a loss positively and that's the first step to getting back in form," Rowan Laufer, the right wing-back and center midfielder said.

The Bears return to the pitch on Tuesday, Feb. 16 against UAB in Birmingham, AL.