CONWAY, Ark. – Defending home for the second game of a three-game home stand, the Central Arkansas women's soccer team put together a terrific win over the Eastern Kentucky Colonels Sunday afternoon, winning 3-2 at the Bill Stephens Complex.
 
The Bears improved to 6-8-2 overall and 3-4-2 in ASUN matches, thanks to the first three-goal match since late September. Megan Moudy got the scoring early, Trace Pavatt added a second, and then assisted on Sophia Backstrom's game-winner.
 
Central Arkansas started the match aggressively, notching two shots on goal in the first four minutes to test the EKU keeper. The pressure culminated in a hand ball in the box just a few minutes later, giving the Bears an early PK. Moudy, who hit the other one for the Bears earlier in the season, went top shelf to the left side of the goal, pushing it past the EKU keeper for the score.
 
EKU went to work looking for an equalizer, putting some combinations together that resulted in shots, but most of them went off target, only testing Anna Kathryn Harrell once in the mid-half flurry. After repelling the attack, the Bears marched back down the field, and after having one attack sent away, Caroline Billings was able to hit a really nice ball and find Pavatt in a perfect spot. The junior forward outran her defender, sidestepped the keeper, and easily finished to give the Bears a 2-0 lead. EKU scratched a goal right before half to cut the lead in half, but the Bears felt good going into the break with a one-score lead.
 
Just like the first half, the Bears were the aggressors early; it took just four minutes of the second half to add a third goal, as Pavatt laid one down the line for Backstrom, who stepped past a defender and shot across her body, slipping it past the outstretched keeper to make it 3-1. With the third score, Central Arkansas became the first ASUN team to score three times against EKU this season.
 
It took EKU a little more than ten minutes to find another quality look, but the Colonels were able to finish to make it a one-score deficit again, tightening the screws for both teams. As the clock continued to tick, both sides became desperate in their objectives; Central Arkansas needed to get the ball forward and possess it for as long as possible, while EKU obviously needed another goal. And for a while, the Central Arkansas defense, though holding steady, couldn't eject the ball into the offensive half, and EKU was able to recycle possession after possession. But eventually, the Bears broke through and pushed the ball to the opposite corner, and from there, the home team was able to claim the victory.
 
This particular win over Eastern Kentucky extended a couple of streaks for this series. The home team has still won every match that these two teams have played, and every match has still been a one-score contest.
 
Central Arkansas has one match left on the books, coming up on Saturday. The Bears will host North Alabama for Senior Day, honoring those that have given this program everything. Kickoff is at 1 p.m., with Senior Day festivities shortly before first touch.