CONWAY, Ark. – Wapping up a two-game road swing, the Central Arkansas women's soccer team gets set for the classic No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup, facing Lipscomb on Sunday. Currently second in the ASUN behind the Bisons, the Bears go to Nashville with a chance to overcome the Bisons in the ASUN standings. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex.
 
The Bears (5-5-3, 4-0-1 ASUN) have put themselves in a remarkable position five matches into the ASUN season, picking up another win against Austin Peay on Thursday. After Trace Pavatt scored the opening goal 30 seconds after halftime, an own goal by the Governors would be enough for Central Arkansas to take one on the road. Pavatt's goal makes her the fourth Bear to log multiple goals this season, and the second player with multiple goals and multiple assists.
 
Defense, however, has been the strength of the Central Arkansas team as the ASUN games have started, giving up just two in the first five games. Kajsa Pruner and the defense have been on lockdown over the last month, with Pruner logging a 0.40 goals against average with an 89.5 percent save rate. With a back line featuring experienced players like Emily Wissel-Littmann, Gabby Thies and Alyssa Aultman, the Bears have also limited the number of scoring opportunities from the outset: Central Arkansas has only allowed around 11 shots per game, about half of the attempts from nonconference games.

After five games that have shown a much-improved Bears squad, Central Arkansas finds itself in second place in the conference standings. Just a half-game behind Lipscomb, a win for either side could be crucial come tournament time. A win for the Bears puts them ahead of the Bisons with a head-to-head tie-breaker, but a win for Lipscomb pushes the distance between the teams to 1.5 games, and with a tie-breaker to boot. Sunday's match, despite being on the very first day of October, carries implications that will last the remainder of the season.
 
Central Arkansas is about to face a team that, so far, has stood head and shoulders above the rest of the ASUN in Lipscomb. Sitting at 9-4 with a perfect 5-0 record in conference, the Bisons have yet to allow a goal to an ASUN squad, outscoring conference opponents 13-0. Most recently, a home game against North Alabama finished 4-0, with four different Bisons scoring.
 
Kelli Beiler, who logged an assist against the Lions, leads the conference with ten goals this season. She has a score in four of the five ASUN matches, and scored a brace in an early season win over Ole Miss. In addition to Beiler, Kiara Pralle adds five goals, and two other Bisons have scored three times. As a team, the Bisons score just over two goals per game, the only ASUN school to average more than 1.50 goals per contest.
 
Kickoff against Lipscomb is set for 1 p.m. in Nashville. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online.