CONWAY, Ark. – It's championship season in Conway, Ark., as the Central Arkansas men's soccer team hosts the No. 6 seed Bellarmine Knights in the ASUN Championship Semifinals on Monday. Kicking off at 6 p.m., the Bears and Knights battle for a spot in the ASUN Final for the second-straight season.
 
The Bears (6-4-5, 5-1-2), earning the No. 2 seed, gear up to defend home field in the postseason once more, having hosted the first two rounds of the ASUN Championship last season, also as the No. 2 seed. With another chance to go to the finals, the Bears get set to play Bellarmine for the fourth time in two seasons.
 
During the regular season, the Bears were led offensively by Sebastian Andreassen, who tallied 19 points on seven goals and five assists. For his spectacular season, he was awarded with a spot on the All-ASUN First Team, along with midfielder Karim Diao. Though Diao didn't have the counting stats of Andreassen, the Frenchman's activity and leadership in the midfield was impossible to deny, and his impact on games was recognized by the league's coaches.
 
Along the backline, defenders Richy Lapointe-Guevara and Bradyn Knutson were named to the conference's second-team, both making a difference on both sides of the ball, helping the Bears to a couple of shutouts while bolstering an offense that ranked second on the league in goals.
 
Central Arkansas' tournament route has been the same for both seasons the team has been in the ASUN, earning a hosting seed that comes with a first-round bye, then preparing for Bellarmine in the semifinals. Both of last season's matchups fell 2-0 in favor of the Bears, as Diao scored three goals across both matches. This year, the Bears won in Louisville after the Knights scored an own goal early, holding on for a 1-0 win.
 
Bellarmine (6-4-7, 2-3-3) faces the Bears after taking down Stetson on PKs in the opening round of the ASUN Championship. The aggressors all night on Saturday, the Knights scored the first goal of the match right before halftime, then going up 2-1 in the middle of the second half. However, Bellarmine allowed an equalizer from the Hatters with just under two minutes remaining in regulation, eventually holding on through overtime to head to PKs.
 
Once in PKs, the Knights made the first two shots and the fourth, capitalizing on errors from the Hatters, to advance to their third-straight ASUN Semifinal. Last season, Bellarmine also came in as the No. 6 seed, defeating the No. 3 seed FGCU Eagles to advance to face the Bears.
 
The Knights earned four spots on the conference's postseason awards list, earning one first-team nod for defender Rikard Cederberg, a second-team spot for goalkeeper Matthew Brozovich, along with a pair of all-freshman players in Teagan Dunne and Cooper Forcellini.
 
Kickoff against the Knights is set for 6 p.m. on Monday, taking place at the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex. A conference championship event, Monday's match is ticketed, with tickets available at our ticket website. The match will be broadcasted on ESPN+, with live stats available here.