SAINT LOUIS, Mo. – Playing a sixth team this season that has made waves in the top-25, the Central Arkansas men's soccer team couldn't muster enough offense against Saint Louis Tuesday night, falling 3-1 Tuesday night.
 
Though the loss dropped the Bears to 2-7-2, it provided another high-quality, nationally-ranked opponent to give a young Central Arkansas team experience as it makes the push down the stretch this season. With only three ASUN games remaining on the schedule, a midweek of this caliber could go a long way in preparing the Bears for a late season run. Pietro Fontana notched his ninth goal of the season in the second half, keeping himself in the mix as one of the premier scorers in college soccer.
 
SLU wasted no time establishing possession, moving quickly and scoring two goals in the first 15 minutes, immediately putting the Bears behind the eight ball. Though Central Arkansas would try to get at least one score on the board before halftime, drives were hard to come by. The Billikens did a good job of keeping the Bears limited to deep balls and one-on-one chances, allowing themselves to control their defensive third with numbers.
 
But after some halftime adjustments, the Bears flipped the switch in the second half, coming out with a ton of energy. All of a sudden, it was Central Arkansas occupying space and moving into its attacking third, with the momentum clearly shifting. Finally, Fontana was able to get some space after Sohma Ichikawa lifted a ball forward, allowing the Italian sophomore to flip the ball to himself and then over the keeper to put the Bears on the board.
 
Suddenly, what looked like a game that could get out of hand got very interesting, with Saint Louis doing all it could to prevent a second goal. The Billikens put a couple of shots on goal in the minutes after Fontana's goal, but Zach Schawl was able to get on top of them. Ichikawa nearly tied the game himself in the 67^th, sprinting to a ball that was leaking out and blasted it, but his shot went high. On the ensuing goal kick, Saint Louis was able to move forward and find a third goal in the 69^th minute.
 
A few minutes later, Fontana nearly scored again, finding an empty spot in the net and lifting it that direction, but a retreating defender was able to get a highlight save to keep it out, getting just enough foot on it to change direction and keep the Bears at one goal. From there, the Billikens were able to settle the game down and burn through clock, essentially ending any chance the Bears had at making a comeback.
 
Central Arkansas takes the pitch again this weekend, hosting Stetson as the Bears resume ASUN play. Kickoff against the Hatters is set for 7 p.m. at the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex.