FLORENCE, Ala. – The Central Arkansas women's soccer team locked up the No. 2 Seed in the ASUN Championship after a decisive 2-1 win over North Alabama on Saturday.
 
The win improved the Bears to 9-6-2 overall and locked in an 8-1-2 ASUN slate. Kelly Van Gundy and Jama Akpanudo tallied goals in the win. Van Gundy logged her ninth score of the season, reaching 19 career goals while extending her career-high in a single season.
 
North Alabama came out of the gates looking to grab an early lead, putting up two early shots and earning a corner kick in the first couple of minutes. But the Bears defense, thinned out due to injury as it was, walled up and kept the Lions from presenting much danger. With a veteran leader like Ava Ronsky and freshman stud Addylan Wright, the Bears still presented a lot of pressure defensively.
 
Central Arkansas countered after weathering the first couple of minutes from the home team, firing a pair of shots on goal from Van Gundy and Anna Kerr. Though the shots stayed out, they represented the incoming barrage that the Bears would put the Lion goalkeeper under for the remainder of the 90 minutes. As the clock passed 20 minutes, Caroline Billings would add a shot on goal, along with Van Gundy again, peppering the UNA defense with shot after shot.
 
Finally, in the 36^th minute, despite plenty of free-play shots on goal, the Bears scored on a free kick. Van Gundy lined it up from about 35 yards and curled it in, passing the Lion goalkeeper for the first score of the match. Kayla Hurley would almost add another as time wound down in the first half, but Central Arkansas still went into the break with a one-goal lead.
 
Brianna Lopez got going as the second half opened, blasting a pair of shots that forced saves from the UNA keeper again. Central Arkansas continued to control possession and move the ball into dangerous places, but the ball just wouldn't find the back of the net. North Alabama finally countered in the 73^rd minute, moving the ball down the field and sneaking one into the left side of the goal to level the score.
 
But Central Arkansas was unphased, understanding what was at stake in the larger scheme of things. The Bears regrouped and pressed on, leading to a ball being switched from Van Gundy to Kerr. Beating a defender and pulling another toward her, Kerr slipped the ball up to Apkanudo, where the freshman could beat the keeper and punch home her first collegiate goal. With less than ten minutes to go, the Lions desperately tried to find another equalizer, earning several corner kicks and a shot on goal, but Lenja Kenstel slammed the door shut for the win.
 
With the regular season wrapped up, the Bears now turn their attention to the ASUN Championship. The ASUN bracket is now in stone, and as the No. 2 seed, Central Arkansas will receive a two-game bye into the semifinals. There, the Bears will await one of three potential teams, Austin Peay, Bellarmine or Lipscomb. The Bears will next play on November 7^th at 2 p.m. CT in Fort Myers, Florida.