CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas men's soccer (6-4-2, 3-1-1 ASUN) scored six goals for the 10th time in program history to shut out Florida Gulf Coast, 6-0, on Saturday night.
Central Arkansas controlled the match from the opening kick, taking a 2-0 lead after Florida Gulf Coast conceded two own goals. The first came in the fifth minute, followed by another in the 21st minute.
The first half featured two teams playing at different tempos. Florida Gulf Coast looked to play quickly and get into the Bears' defensive third, but Central Arkansas cleared most of the Eagles' attempts. Florida Gulf Coast earned six of its seven corner kicks in the first half, compared with one for the Bears.
Despite playing at a slower pace than the Eagles, Central Arkansas moved the ball effectively down the field and pushed deep into the attacking third with numbers, leading to the two own goals. Kyle Schwartz added to the lead in the 30th minute, scoring his first goal of the season to give the Bears a 3-0 advantage heading into halftime.
Central Arkansas continued to control the pace in the second half, picking up where it left off before the break. Kaisei Matsudo extended the lead to 4-0 in the 64th minute off an assist from Rico Duggan. The goal was Matsudo's first of the season, while Duggan recorded his first assist of the year.
The Bears kept the momentum going as Noa Bomballi scored his first goal of the season to make it 5-0. Duggan and Vaclav Kozeny were credited with assists on the goal. Michael Walenchok added another just a minute later, scoring his first goal of the season to give Central Arkansas a 6-0 lead. Kozeny and Schwartz recorded the assists.
With their performances, Kozeny and Schwartz moved into a tie with Garner Wolfe for the team lead in assists, with three apiece.
Goalkeeper Merrick Cook recorded his third shutout of the season, finishing the match with two saves.
The six goals were the most Central Arkansas has scored in a match this season and marked the program's first six-goal performance since a 6-2 victory over North Florida in 2024.
Central Arkansas will look to carry its momentum into Tuesday's matchup at SMU. The Mustangs enter the contest at 10-0-2 and ranked fourth nationally in RPI. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+, with live statistics available online.
