SAN MARCOS, Texas – It was another tough offensive outing for the Central Arkansas women's soccer team on Sunday, falling to Texas State in San Marcos.
The 5-1 loss drops the Bears to 0-2 on the young season, having played two tough Texas teams to open the year.
Lea Duus Madsen found the back of the net for the first time in her collegiate career, keeping the Bears from getting shutout in the 70
th minute.
Kajsa Pruner came out of the gates with energy and a quick first step, despite the triple-digit temperature. The goalkeeper parried several crosses and made a couple of saves early on in the match, keeping the Bobcats off the scoreboard. But that would only last so long, as a ball in front of the goal was punched in in the 20
th minute. Central Arkansas would fight to equalize, but shots were hard to come by for the road team.
With minutes left in the first half, Texas State's Alexis Neal made a move just outside the 18-yard box and lofted in a shot that curled just over Pruner's hands and in, stretching the lead to two goals. The Bears nearly answered with a free kick and a corner with less than two minutes until the break, but the Bobcats were able to escape the danger. Duus Madsen had a decent look at a shot on both the free kick and the corner, but her headers were just off target.
Down two scores with 45 minutes to go, the Bears struggled out of the gates in the second half, surrendering two goals in the first 15 minutes of the half. Finally, in the 70
th minute, a free kick off the foot of
Gabby Thies was redirected by Emily Wissel-Littman to the waiting Duus Madsen, who punched home the goal to put the Bears on the board. Though the goal was too little, too late, it marked a significant accomplishment for the Danish forward, scoring her first goal in Purple and Gray.
The Bears open their home schedule in the next one, playing on Thursday as part of a double-header coinciding with the men's team's home opener. First touch for the women's soccer team is set for 5 p.m. against Missouri State.
