CONWAY, Ark. – Potentially the biggest match of the season has arrived for the Central Arkansas women's soccer team. Facing Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Myers on Sunday, the Bears have a chance to lock up the No. 1 seed in the ASUN Championships with a win over the Eagles. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. CT.
The Bears set themselves up beautifully this season, holding an 8-5-2 overall record with a 7-0-2 showing in conference. And now, with two games left, Central Arkansas can lock up the No. 1 seed with a win over the Eagles. The Bears are one point up on FGCU with two games left, so a win would put them up four points with one game remaining.
Last time out, Central Arkansas grabbed a 2-0 win over Stetson to start the road trip.
Kelly Van Gundy and
Kayla Hurley notched goals, one in the first ten minutes of the match, the other in the final ten. Van Gundy's score marked her seventh in ASUN play, putting her in a tie for conference-lead while also putting her atop the league in game-winners in ASUN matches with four.
FGCU (8-5-2, 7-1-1 ASUN) host this weekend after defeating North Alabama 3-0 on Thursday. The win marked the fifth ASUN shutout for the Eagles, and extended the team's unbeaten streak to six matches. Kendal Gargiula tallied the second and third goals of the day to put her at a team-best six ASUN goals.
The Eagles have had four consistent scorers this season, in Gargiula, Katharina Oelschlaeger, Erika Zschuppe and Ashley Labbe, who all have five or more goals. FGCU has 34 goals this season, with outlier 8-0 and 5-0 wins over Queens and West Georgia.
Sunday's matchup marks the fourth time in five matches that the Bears will play the Eagles away from Conway. In each of the first two seasons, the Bears have split the regular season meetings and then faced off with FGCU in ASUN postseason.
Kickoff against the Eagles is set for 12 p.m. CT in Fort Myers, Florida. Due to conflict with FGCU and Central Arkansas volleyball at 11 a.m., the soccer match will not be on ESPN+, but will have live stats available online.
