CONWAY, Ark. – Battling on a sunny Sunday afternoon, the Central Arkansas women's soccer team fell to Lipscomb 2-0 in an ASUN matchup.
The loss drops the Bears to 3-6-2 on the season, with a 1-2-1 conference slate. Despite having several offensive opportunities, Central Arkansas couldn't find a score against the Bisons. On the other side of the field, the Bear defense played admirably, holding one of the best offenses in the country scoreless for 57 minutes before finally giving up the stalemate.
Lipscomb immediately put pressure on the Central Arkansas defense, putting multiple shots up in the first 10 minutes, but the Bears held firm in front of
Kajsa Pruner in the net. Playing the first 45 minutes as the backstop, Pruner recorded a pair of saves as she held her third team scoreless while minding the net.
Maria Vanegas, starting her second match at midfield, tried to get the offense going, letting loose on the Bears first shot in the eighth minute. Vanegas took three shots on the day, putting one on goal in the opening minutes of the second half. The midfielders of both teams jockeyed back and forth in the first half, fighting for clean openings for forwards and trying to open the scoring.
Taylor Webb had a pair of good looks in the first half, shooting from midfield on free kicks, mimicking her goal against EKU.
Central Arkansas played one of the better halves of creating opportunities, taking seven shots with three on target. Despite not scoring, hanging with Lipscomb's ASUN leading offense was a testament to the type of match the Bears can play when things are clicking.
After a scoreless first half, the stakes kept rising as the clock ticked down. Lipscomb finally broke the stalemate in the 57
th minute, as the Bisons forward darted from left to right to free herself for a clean shot.
The Bears tried to equalize, but the Bisons were able to keep Central Arkansas from making many threatening runs. Lipscomb touched in its second goal in the 68
th minute, finalizing the 2-0 lead that would hold through the final whistle.
Central Arkansas takes to the road for its next match, heading to Liberty on Thursday for a match against the Lady Flames. Kickoff in Lynchburg, Va., is set for 5 p.m. CT.
