JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After a slow first half that saw only one score, the Central Arkansas men's soccer team dropped a shootout of a second half, falling 3-2 to Jacksonville Saturday night.
 
The loss drops the bears to 2-6-2 on the year, now 1-2-1 in ASUN play. Deon Travis and Pietro Fontana both notched goals, the first for Travis and the eighth of the season for Fontana. Both Bear goals came in the second half, as the Bears sought to complete the comeback.
 
Both teams came out swinging, and Fontana and Jerry Gutierrez nearly started the scoring in the first five minutes, with Gutierrez putting the first of 12 shots on goal up for the Bears. Devonte Richards mirrored his shot in the eighth, and the Dolphins had two shots of their own, marking five total shots in the first eight minutes.
 
The match would remain scoreless until the 24^th minute, where finally the 11^th shot of the match found the back of the net, this one by the Dolphins. Richards nearly answered within the next minute, and the Bears would add two more shots on goal in the next couple of minutes, also to no avail.
 
Play slowed down over the final 15 minutes of the first half, with each team taking one more shot over the last third. From there, possession was tossed back and forth through the halftime whistle, the Bears trailing by just a single goal.
 
But much like the first half, the second half started in a blaze of action, as Jacksonville scored just 23 seconds into the new period. Richards put a third shot on goal in the 51^st, but the Jacksonville keeper was able to stay in front of it. But the way the offenses were churning, it was only a matter of time before the Bears put one in. And Richards, who had put five shots on goal, picked up his team-leading fifth assist with a dish to Travis, who put Central Arkansas on the board in the 54^th minute.
 
Jacksonville didn't need long to answer, however, scoring its third and final goal of the evening ten minutes later, reclaiming its two-goal lead. Fontana would answer with his team-best eighth goal in the 64^th, leaving plenty of time for the Bears to try and get another. Despite taking four more shots down the stretch, that equalizer never came, as the Dolphin keeper was able to hold on for the win.
 
Central Arkansas returns to the pitch on Tuesday, taking to the road for a nonconference game against Saint Louis. Kickoff against the Billikens is set for 7 p.m.