CONWAY, Ark. – After notching a win on Saturday to keep the season on track, the Central Arkansas men's soccer team now prepares to take on the reigning champion Lipscomb Bisons on Monday. The Bears and Bisons kick off at 7 p.m. with a chance to advance to the ASUN Finals next Saturday.
 
Central Arkansas punched its ticket with a 1-0 win over Queens on Saturday, with Deon Travis scoring in the 32^nd minute. The Bears outshot the Royals 22-9, with an 8-3 advantage in shots on goal, and simply controlled the game from the outset, despite the final score. Devonte Richards also played a fantastic game, moving the ball all over the field and putting Central Arkansas in some great scoring opportunities that just didn't pan out.
 
With a win on Monday, the Bears would return to the ASUN Championship Finals for the third time in three seasons, making it to the final round in both of the first two seasons since joining the ASUN. But Lipscomb will be a tough task for Central Arkansas, playing with more than 48 hours of rest and on its home pitch.
 
Lipscomb earned its spot in the semifinal by claiming the No. 1 overall seed, thanks to a 6-1 record in league games. Its one loss came on Oct. 21^st, falling 3-1 at Stetson. Central Arkansas, on the other hand, tied Stetson 1-1 at home, holding the Hatters to just seven shots. Lipscomb allowed Stetson to take 21 shots, with 14 on frame, letting two goals in the final three minutes to lose the match.
 
The Bisons also boast a number of all-conference players, including the ASUN Player of the Year in Tyrese Spicer. The redshirt junior was the only player in the conference to score more goals than Pietro Fontana's 12, with the Trinidad and Tobago native netting at least one in all but two of the 13 matches in which he appeared this season. Spicer was one of four Bisons to tally ten or more points on the season, including Malachi Jones (19), Ploutarchos Alonefti (17), and Javanne Smith (14).
 
Central Arkansas and Lipscomb played in the regular season, with the Bisons picking up a 6-3 win in Nashville. Richards leveled the match on a bullet of a free kick in the first half before the Bisons pulled away, with Jackson Dutton and Ignacio Bellina scoring late to close the gap. The Bears outshot Lipscomb 17-16, but just couldn't put enough of their nine shots on goal past the Bison keeper.
 
Kickoff for a chance to make the ASUN Championship Final is set for 7 p.m. on Monday. The match will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online.