CONWAY, Ark. – The 2025-26 athletics season opens on Thursday, starting with Game One of the women's soccer season! The Bears begin their campaign with a nonconference match against Tulsa. Kickoff against the Golden Hurricane is set for 7 p.m. at the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex.
 
The Bears, led by first year head coach Derek Nichols, played a pair of exhibitions during the preseason, logging minutes against Northwest Mississippi Community College and Louisiana Tech in preparation for the start of the regular season.
 
Central Arkansas returns seven goal scorers from a season ago, including two that were named to the ASUN All-Freshman Team after last year. Jama Akpanudo and Sophia Backstrom, along with fellow sophomore Kayla Hurley, combined for eight goals and four assists to help Central Arkansas claim the league's No. 2 seed in the ASUN Championship. The trio looks to take steps forward in the attacking third with increased roles.
 
Also returning is Preseason All-ASUN defender Nina Mazzola. A Second Team All-ASUN honoree last season, Mazzola returns to lead a defense that has another pair of seasoned vets in Ava Ronsky and Rylee Ellis, along with returning All-Freshman Team selection Addylan Wright. The four defenders stand in front of some new goalkeepers, including a pair of transfers, Hanna Hargrave from Wright State and Anna Kathryn Harrell from NW Mississippi CC.
 
Tulsa finished last season 7-9-4, ending the year with a 4-2 loss to No. 19 Memphis in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Championship.
 
This year, the Golden Hurricane were honored with three spots on the American Conference Women's Soccer Watch List, with Aniya Facen, Blaine Schutte and Kaylyn Simmons being added to the list. The trio are all playing their second full season in Tulsa, and Facen and Schutte are coming off American All-Freshman nods. The two sophomores combined for 11 goals and eight assists.
 
Kickoff against the Golden Hurricane is set for 7 p.m. at the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex. The match will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online.