CONWAY, Ark. – One last nonconference game on deck for the Central Arkansas men's soccer team, this one on the road for Tuesday night. Facing off against No. 25 Oral Roberts, the Bears kick off in Tulsa at 7 p.m. against yet another ranked opponent.
With just a couple of games left this season, the Bears sit at 2-7-4 on the year. The squad picked up a critical point in the ASUN table in its last game, tying FGCU 1-1 on the road. It moved Central Arkansas to 1-2-3 in ASUN matches, and keeps the team in the hunt for the final spot in the ASUN Championship.
Pietro Fontana notched his 11
th goal of the season to secure the draw, moving him up to 8
th in the nation in scoring. Fontana has a goal in seven games this season, including four-straight down the stretch. He's done it on one of the most efficient shooting clips, putting 60 percent of his shots on frame, good for ninth in the nation.
Last season's matchup against the Golden Eagles ended in a 2-2 draw, with the Bears nearly completing a furious comeback late in the second half. Down 2-0 past the 70
th minute, Central Arkansas would score twice in a five-minute span to level the game. Though the Bears would get three more shots off before the end of the game, including one on frame from
Jerry Gutierrez, ORU was able to hold on for the draw.
Oral Roberts enters the week with an 8-2-3 record, 4-0-2 in the Summit League. Unbeaten since September 19
th, the Golden Eagles have won or tied their last six matches, most recently defeating Western Illinois 2-0 on Saturday. A pair of first half goals from Jose Estrada and Haruki Yamazaki put the game out of reach before 45 minutes had been played, as the Golden Eagles outshot Eastern Illinois 26-3.
Like Central Arkansas, ORU has a double-digit goal scorer this season, in Luis Flores. He mirrors Fontana with 11 goals and one assist this season, with the difference being that Flores has scored most of his goals two at a time. Flores has four games of multiple goals, and has scored in back-to-back games twice this season, including a three-game streak to start the year.
ORU has also seen a great deal of success because of its defense: the Golden Eagles only allow 0.85 goals per 90 minutes, and have faced far fewer shots than their opposing goalkeepers. As such, Jakub Grzesiak holds a sub-1.00 GAA while making just 33 saves this season with five shutouts.
Kickoff against the Golden Eagles is set for 7 p.m. in Tulsa, Okla. The match will be streamed on the Summit League Network, with live stats available online.
