CONWAY, Ark. – At home again after a brutal two-game stretch, the Central Arkansas men's soccer team gears up to take on the Memphis Tigers on Monday. Kicking off at 6 p.m., the Bears hope to avenge last season's heartbreaking loss, this time at the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex.
 
The past two games for Central Arkansas (0-2-1) were both against top-20 ranked teams, in No. 19 SMU and No. 7 FIU. After falling to SMU, the Bears rebounded in a big way against FIU, playing the Panthers to a 0-0 draw in Miami. Despite playing with only 10 players for the final 20 minutes, the defense, backed by Connor Wachtel in goal, were able to fend off a heady offense that made the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
 
But where that does put the Bears is still having just a single goal to their names this year, coming off the foot of Pietro Fontana in the home opening loss to SIUE. Hopefully, Central Arkansas will be able to recapture some of the success from last season's match against the Tigers, in which the team scored four goals in the first half. Of the four scorers from last season, however, only Jerry Gutierrez remains on the squad.
 
Central Arkansas continues to fight its way through a monster nonconference schedule, playing three-straight NCAA Tournament teams from last season. That being said, a tough nonconference schedule last season turned into just a single loss in conference play, and an appearance in the ASUN Championship match. Putting the Bears through a crucible of fire has so far proven to be a worthy strategy for head coach Frank Kohlenstein.
 
Memphis enters the match unbeaten in three matches, coming in with a 2-0-1 record. Most recently, the Tigers earned a draw against Georgia State, leveling at 1-1 when time expired. After surrendering the opening goal in the 81^st, Memphis' Jackson Kim tied the match barely two minutes later, an 83^rd minute equalizer that would hold to the end.
 
The Tigers also claimed road wins over Wisconsin-Green Bay and Northern Illinois to start the season, outscoring the two opponents 5-1. Lineker Rodriguez dos Santos notched both game winners, and has three goals already this season. The junior forward scored twice against Northern Illinois, counting two of the three goals for Memphis in a 3-1 win.
 
Monday's match is set for 6 p.m. at the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex. The match will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online.