CONWAY, Ark. – Sunday night did not go the Bears' way, as the Central Arkansas men's soccer team dropped a 3-1 decision to FIU.
There was a flurry of offense in the first half, then more than 60 minutes of scoreless soccer before the Panthers were able to seal the deal late in the match. The loss drops the Bears to 3-3 on the season.
FIU wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, scoring in the first minute of the match. But the Bears, who have thrived in the early stages of matches this season, immediately set to work to find an equalizer. A corner kick in the ninth minute provided that opportunity;
Charles-Emile Brunet lofted a pass into the box, and
Elijah Bishop was able to redirect it to
Sohma Ichikawa, who punched it into the net to level the score.
Unfortunately for the Bears, FIU earned a PK just seconds later, sliding it home to reclaim the lead. After the sprint out of the gates for both teams, the match settled down after the first ten minutes.
Andres Robles took a shot in the 18
th minute, but it trailed wide of the goal. The Panthers took one more shot in the 31
st, which was saved by
Javier Ramirez, and the rest of the first half ticked away without incident.
As the second half opened,
Devonte Richards nearly equalized with a free kick, but his shot rocketed off the crossbar and into the open field. He would again take a shot in the 65
th minute, forcing a save from the Panther keeper. Then, in the 72
nd, FIU scored a third goal, sending a ball up long before crossing it in for the score.
Central Arkansas never gave up, driving the ball down the field to try and muster some late offense. But every time the ball would get into the attacking third, a Panther was right there to take it away and send it back to midfield. Eventually, the clock expired, handing the Bears a second-straight loss.
The Bears are back on the pitch on Saturday, heading out east to Bellarmine for their first ASUN match of the season. Kickoff against the Knights is set for 6 p.m.
