CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas women's soccer team picked up its first win of the season with a dominant second half against UL Monroe, capturing a 3-1 win on Sunday.
The Bears (1-1) used three-straight goals after halftime to collect win number one on the season, overcoming a tough first half and some brutal heat. Three Bears scored goals in the win, and keeper
Anna Kathryn Harrell picked up eight saves to hold on for the victory.
ULM came out swinging, putting up three shots in the first ten minutes, but none of them found the target. The persistence would pay off, however, as the Warhawks logged the first goal of the game in the 17
th minute. The Central Arkansas defense would settle in, but shots continued to come from the visitors.
Emerson Kercher nearly tied the match in the waning minutes of the half, but her shot was saved by the ULM keeper.
Just like in game one, the Bears made some changes coming out of the halftime break, and they paid off quickly. Moving the ball from right to left, the Bears connected passes until
Megan Moudy and
Sakiko Manabe were able to pair some passes forward to
Caroline Billings. The junior forward had space, and she was able to find the net for her second goal of the season and the equalizer.
Time continued to move forward with neither side making notable offensive attacks. The match got within 20 minutes of the final whistle when
Kaylee Nguyen launched a ball in from the right side of the box, where freshman
Makenna Adam was waiting to punch it home. The goal marked Adam's first score as a Bear, and gave the Bears a 2-1 lead.
Now in desperation mode, the Warhawks pressed numbers forward, needing a score to retie the game. A big save from Harrell kept the Bears in front, and with 12 minutes to go, Central Arkansas was able to go from protecting the lead to adding to it. Moudy put a great ball in front of
Trace Pavatt, and the junior forward slipped it past the keeper to extend the lead for good.
The Bears now hit the road for the next two games, heading way out west to Hawaii to play a pair of games on the islands. First up, a matchup with the Rainbow Warriors on Friday at midnight, followed by a meeting with Sacramento State on Sunday.