LYNCHBURG, Va. – Needing a result to claim a spot in the ASUN Championships, the Bears went out and took a 2-1 win from Liberty Friday evening. Picking up the win, Central Arkansas also secured the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, earning a first-round bye and home court advantage for the first two rounds.
 
The win improves the Bears to 6-4-3, with a 5-1-1 ASUN record. Jonathan Randall and Sebastian Andreassen found the back of the net to secure the result.
 
Liberty held the momentum early in the match, taking the first couple of shots in the game in the first ten minutes, letting loose in the fifth and eighth minutes. Central Arkansas finally responded in the 20^th minute, as Richy Lapointe-Guevara put one on goal, forcing a save from the Liberty keeper.
 
Keeping the ball in the offensive third, the Bears got on the board off the foot of Randall, who came through on his first goal of the season. Liberty nearly responded a couple of minutes later, but Zach Schawl kept the Flames off the board. The 1-0 score would hold through the end of the first half, with the Flames outshooting the Bears 5-3.
 
Out of the break, Central Arkansas immediately built on the lead, as Andreassen scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season in the 48^th minute. Again, the Flames nearly scored shortly afterwards, putting three shots up in less than 30 seconds, forcing a pair of saves from Schawl. From there, the match settled down for a time, with the offense coming slower than the blitz to start the half.
 
Liberty finally got on the board in the 73^rd minute, cutting the lead to one and putting some pressure on the Bears. Desperate for an equalizer, the Flames nearly tied the match in the 88^th minute, but Schawl came up with a huge save in a critical moment to secure the win.
 
The Bears have two matches left on the schedule, with a nonconference bout against Kansas City up next. Game time against the Roos is set for 6 p.m. next Tuesday.