CONWAY, Ark. – It's time for postseason soccer! The Central Arkansas men's soccer team is on the road for the first round of the ASUN Championship, taking on Stetson in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday. First touch against the Hatters is set for 6 p.m. CT.
The Bears (4-9-2, 3-2-1 ASUN) earned the No. 2 seed in the ASUN Gold Division after being one of the best home teams in the entire league, going 3-0 against ASUN teams in Conway. Central Arkansas has been a balanced offense this season, with four multi-goal scorers, including three with four or more.
Devonte Richards leads the way with five goals, followed behind by Maxim Sheenko and
Michael Oliveri, who each have four.
Lucas Shearer leads the team with five assists, with five Bears holding two assists this season.
Central Arkansas will be facing off with a Stetson team that the Bears have not seen yet this year, thanks to the ASUN going to divisions this season. The last time the Bears and Hatters played, it was a 3-0 shutout for Central Arkansas, as the Bears took a 1-0 lead into halftime, then added two more in the middle of the second period.
The Bears have historically had a good amount of success in the ASUN Championship, reaching three Finals in four seasons in the conference. Last season's run to the Championship final saw Central Arkansas score three goals in all three games, including a shutout against the Hatters.
Stetson (5-8-2, 2-3-1 ASUN) is the No. 3 seed out of the ASUN Graphite Division, and locked up a spot after winning its senior day match 4-1 over North Florida, capturing a tie-breaker over FGCU to snag the last spot in the tournament.
Much like Central Arkansas, the Hatters played a tough non-conference schedule, leading to a deceptive record. With two ranked opponents and another pair of Power 4 matches, the Hatters spent the non-conference slate building experience against quality opponents, which then allowed them to have a balanced team capable of taking on the conference schedule.
During ASUN games, the Hatters had seven goals in six matches, coming from five different scorers. But the goals all came in two matches, a 3-1 win over FGCU and a 4-1 win over North Florida, leaving the other four matches without a goal in their favor.
Kickoff against Stetson is set for 6 p.m. CT on Saturday. The match will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online.
