CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas men's soccer team gears up for perhaps its toughest ASUN match of the season, hosting the reigning champion Lipscomb Bisons. Kickoff against Lipscomb on Saturday is set for 7 p.m. at the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex.
 
The Bears (4-4, 1-1 ASUN) dropped their last outing, a road match at Queens last Saturday. The 1-0 shutout loss in a conference match was the first for the Bears in nearly two years, showing how consistently Central Arkansas has scored since joining the league.
 
Central Arkansas finds itself in fourth place early in the ASUN season, with only Stetson winning both games in the first couple of weeks. The Bears are just a point in the table behind Queens and Lipscomb, who are both 1-0-1.
 
Javier Ramirez is still putting in good work between the posts, and still has the numbers of a top-15 keeper in the nation. He ranks fifth in saves per game (5.38), tenth in save percent (82.7), 11^th in total saves (43) and 13^th in shutouts (4).
 
Lipscomb enters the weekend 3-2-4, a down year by their standards. The Bisons are unbeaten in their last four matches, picking up three draws and a win over Bellarmine last time out. Tyler Stinnett and Javanne Smith tallied goals after the 75^th minute to break the tie, downing the Knights in Nashville.
 
Smith is tied for team-lead with four goals this season, topping the roster with Dan Karsten. Smith is also the only Bison with multiple assists this season. In all, eight Bisons have logged goals, tallying 15 total goals. Between the pipes, Juan Carlos Rodriguez has been the only keeper to play, holding 2.11 goals against average with 34 saves.
 
Kickoff against the Bisons is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday. The match will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online. As always, admission to Central Arkansas soccer is free.