CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas men's soccer team is back on the road after one home game, opening ASUN play at Queens on Saturday. The Bears and Royals will face off at 5 p.m. CT in Charlotte.
 
The Bears (1-5-1) gutted out a 1-0 win over Eastern Illinois in their home opener to claim their first win of the season, battling from a man down to find an 81^st minute score from Devonte Richards. The goal marked the second of the season for Richards, and finally got the monkey off the back of a team that has played one of the toughest schedules in the nation to this point.
 
In five matches against Queens, the Bears have won four of them, including a 3-2 win in the ASUN Championship last season. Over the course of the series since the Royals made the jump to Division I, Pietro Fontana has been electric, scoring seven goals against Queens. Fontana made program history as a sophomore, tying a program record with four goals in the regular season matchup in 2023.  
 
Queens (4-3) have had some ups and downs this season. After losing their first two games of the season by a combined 8-0, including a 6-0 loss against Charlotte, the Royals rattled off four-straight 1-0 wins, including one over No. 14 Clemson. Most recently, the Royals dropped a 1-0 match at South Carolina, snapping a four-match shutout streak.
 
The Royals offense has been similar to the Central Arkansas offense in terms of numbers, with just four goals on the season as the page flips to conference play. Queens has four goal-scorers this season, and has been outshot 99-64. In goal, Matheus Rhormens has 26 saves this season, allowing just one goal since the two losses to start the year.
 
Kickoff at Queens is set for 5 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online.