CONWAY, Ark. – After claiming a first round win over Queens on Saturday, the Central Arkansas men's soccer team gets set for a rematch with Stetson in the semifinals. Kickoff against the Hatters is set for 5 p.m. CT in DeLand, Florida.
The Bears (7-7-2) advanced to the semifinal after taking down the Royals with a 3-2 win. After
Pietro Fontana notched his eighth goal of the season and fifth goal in three games,
Tajio James did the rest, scoring twice down the stretch to send the Royals packing.
With the Hatters on the horizon, the last meeting between the teams was only a month ago. On the road, the Bears outshot Stetson 13-8 overall and 10-2 in the second half, coming away with a 1-1 tie. James was the goal scorer then as well, starting what would become a torrid streak for the Barbadian. He has four goals in the last four matches, including Saturday's brace.
Stetson advanced after claiming the league's No. 1 seed, earning a first-round bye. Unbeaten since September 28
th, the Hatters played one more match after the end of the ASUN regular season, playing Warner University as a final tune-up for the Tournament.
Despite the unbeaten streak, Stetson hasn't beaten an NCAA Division I team since October 12
th, drawing in the final three ASUN matches 1-1. In fact, Stetson hasn't scored more than two goals against a Division I opponent all season long, relying on a strong defense to claim results.
Kickoff against the Hatters is set for 5 p.m. CT in DeLand, Florida. The match will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online.