Conway, Ark. - Not many 18 to 23 year old's get the chance to say they have played a National Soccer Team, but the Central Arkansas Women's Soccer Team was given that opportunity on Tuesday, August 10 against the U20 Paraguay Women's National Team.

While the match was just an exhibition, multiple freshmen made their debuts for the Bears and made a major impact on the historic match for the program. The match finished 2-0 with the Bears taking the spoils on the final match for the U20 Paraguay Women's National Team tour of the United States.

Abby Johnson opened the scoring midway through the second half with a header after a cross from fellow freshmen Addison Martin. Last season's top-scorer, Emma Hawkins put the second away after Kelly Van Gundy treaded a neat through ball to put Hawkins one-on-one with the goalkeeper. 

"It was good to get a feel of how other countries play. It felt good to be back and getting the chance to play with everyone again," said last season's top goal scorer Emma Hawkins.

"It was fun to finally get to come out and play against a good team, especially in my first college game. It was definitely a learning experience. I was excited tonight, it was a confidence booster for sure," said freshmen Kelly Van Gundy, who provided an assist.

"It was super cool to play someone from a different part of the world and get some touches. It was super exciting to score today, it was a great ball from Addison and it really helped me gain some confidence," said Abby Johnson.

"It was good to be out here, the competition was a lot better and it's making me better everyday. It was a confidence booster because I was very nervous going in, but it calmed me down and gave me more confidence for the season ahead," said Addison Martin, the freshmen defender.

"What a cool experience, it was awesome that we were able to put this together for the players and for the fans! Just to play an international game was a fun experience. We have a big group of freshmen that are all capable of competing and playing within our group. It adds some more playmakers within our group, we have a way to go before we start playing the real games, but this is a good start," said Coach Jeremy Bishop on the opportunity to play against a national team.