LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Central Arkansas men's soccer team picked up a major win to start ASUN play, winning on the road to defeat Bellarmine 1-0. The Bears found an early goal and had a terrific defensive effort to maintain the win.
 
The Bears (4-3, 1-0 ASUN) avoided a loss in a conference opener for the fifth-straight year, and open ASUN play earning a point for the fourth-consecutive season. Central Arkansas also scored in a conference game for the 12^th-straight match, dating back to the middle of the 2022 season.
 
Devonte Richards was the recipient of a great three-man game with Tajio James and Sohma Ichikawa, with James sliding a pass to Ichikawa, who booted it up to a waiting Richards, who punched it home for the score in the sixth minute. The Bears have made a splash this season scoring early, using the quick scores to put opponents in tough spots early.
 
Pietro Fontana nearly doubled the lead in the tenth minute, but his shot was saved by the Bellarmine keeper. The Bears had the Knight backstop all over the place on Saturday, with seven shots on goal and seven corner kicks over the 90 minutes. Bellarmine had its lone shot on goal of the first half in the waning minutes of the period, but Javier Ramirez, who had another terrific outing, kept it out of the net.
 
As the second half went on, both sides put an emphasis on quick counter attacks, sending the ball up and down the field with pace. Bellarmine had a pair of looks early in the half, but Ramirez again parried both shots and let the defense clean up. The first 15 minutes of the second half saw the teams trade 12 shots, a cluster for each side as both sides looked to add one to the box score.
 
But once the flurry was over, the midfielders dominated possessions, which forced both sides to take risky, long passes to try to get past the midfielders. This allowed Elijah Bishop, Kevin Ventura, and the rest of the Bears defense to pick off passes and send them the other way. As time went on, Central Arkansas began burning clock, maintaining possession for as long as possible before driving it forward to force Bellarmine to bring it up the length of the field.
 
The Bears stay on the road for the next one, heading to Charlotte, North Carolina for a second ASUN game against Queens. Next Saturday's match is set for 5 p.m. CT.