CONWAY, Ark. – ASUN play officially starts tomorrow for the Central Arkansas women's soccer team, as the Bears host the Royals of Queens University on Thursday. The Bears draw the Royals at home, with kickoff at 7 p.m. at the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex.
The Bears picked up a much-needed win last time out, defeating ULM 3-2 on Sunday. Central Arkansas got its scoring from a number of sources, and was able to play from behind and make the comeback.
Kelly Van Gundy scored her first goal of the season to get the Bears on the board, and
Sophia Backstrom and
Lea Duus Madsen scored second-half goals to earn the win.
Sunday's win hopefully points the Bears in the right direction; after making some adjustments both with the lineup and tactically, Central Arkansas saw a season-high in goals, shots and shots on goal. Thursday's match will be a tell-tale sign of if the changes can bring consistent success to a team that finished last season as the No. 2 seed in the ASUN Tournament.
Queens visits Conway for the first time ever with a 4-4 record. The Royals earned a 2-0 road win over UNC Asheville, and really needed the confidence boost heading into conference play after losing the previous two matches by a combined 13-1. The Royals scored once in each half to down UNC Asheville, including Sophia Muetterties' second goal of the year.
The Royals have only outshot their opponents two times this season, putting more shots up against South Carolina State and Winthrop. On another note, Queens has only had two games in which both teams have scored, the other six have been shutouts, whether a win or a loss for the Royals.
Central Arkansas begins its conference season having been selected third in the Preseason ASUN Coaches' Poll, with Queens being selected ninth. Last year, the Bears went 7-1-3 in conference matches.
Kickoff against the Royals is set for 7 p.m. at the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex. Thursday's match will be streamed live on ESPN+, with live stats available online. As always attendance is free for all Central Arkansas soccer games.
