CONWAY, Ark. – Central Arkansas men's soccer remains on the road, playing the fourth of six-straight away from Conway. This Sunday, the Bears will face Missouri State in Springfield. Kickoff against the other Bears is set for 6 p.m.
 
The Bears (0-3) continue to play one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the nation, playing a fourth team that regularly wins conference titles and makes NCAA Tournament appearances. Last time out, it was a 1-0 finish against Tulsa. The Bears had chances in the second half to take a lead, but surrendered a goal in the 71^st that couldn't be answered.
 
Central Arkansas has been slowly piecing together improvements over the early stretches of the season. After struggling to build offense against Portland, the Bears had markedly better options at Santa Barbara, but probably gave up too many chances on defense. Fast forward to Tulsa, the Golden Hurricane only had four shots on goal, indicating that the defense is trending in a positive direction. It seems only a matter of time that the two sides come together for a Central Arkansas team that is way more talented than its record indicates.
 
Missouri State (2-1) has put together a quality start to the season, with a win over RV Seattle to start the year, a close 2-1 loss to No. 18 Kansas City, but rebounded with a 3-1 win at Penn State. Ball movement has been a key part of the offense for the Bears, who have 11 assists on eight goals.
 
The Bears are led offensively by Fumiya Shiraishi, who has six goals already through three matches. The Japanese forward scored all four goals in the win over Seattle, and followed it up with a brace against Penn State.
 
Kickoff against Missouri State is set for 6 p.m. on Sunday. The match will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online.