CONWAY, Ark. – After a ferocious 90 minutes against Oral Roberts, the Central Arkansas women's soccer team claimed its first win of the season, punctuating a 1-0 final score with a stone-cold defensive performance in the final stretch.
 
The Bears improved to 1-4-2 on the year despite being outshot 24-5. The Bears took their chances and stayed within themselves for a quality performance against a team that was great at maintaining possessions. Megan Moudy logged her second goal of the season, slotting one home in the 60^th minute.
 
Oral Roberts began testing the Bear defense immediately, putting the first shot on goal in the fourth minute. Lenja Kenstel, getting the start in goal, handled it cleanly, but it was definitely a sign of things to come for the evening. The Golden Eagles put another on goal a few minutes later, controlling the action in the early minutes of the match.
 
Trace Pavatt and Sydney Brough finally provided scoring opportunities for the Bears in the eighth and 13^th minutes, respectively, but both Bears missed the target. ORU continued to dominate possession in the first half, outshooting the Bears 7-4 over the first 45 minutes. But both defenses stayed sharp, minimizing quality chances and keeping the action in the midfield.
 
The Golden Eagles took three shots early in the second half, forcing one more save from Kenstel, but the Bears continued to stake their claim on the defensive end. Central Arkansas broke through on a counter attack in the 60^th. Dancing at the top of the box, Moudy lifted one with just the right amount of top-spin to curl over the outstretched arm of the keeper and drop into the net.
 
Now trailing, Oral Roberts had to kick it into another gear, desperate for an equalizer. The Golden Eagles would take 14 shots down the stretch, pushing numbers forward to try and break through. But the Bears locked in and locked down, forcing the ball back out and regrouping for another attack. Like water on rock, wave after wave of Golden Eagle attack crashed into the Bears, and went right back out to midfield. Oral Roberts took one last look was the clock ticked under a minute, but Central Arkansas held on, punching one more shot out and watching as the clock struck 0:00.
 
The Bears are back on the pitch on Sunday, facing another team from Tulsa, Okla., in the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Kickoff on Sunday is set for 1 p.m. at the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex.