LITTLE ROCK, Ark. –
Sakiko Manabe sunk a penalty kick late in the match against Little Rock, giving the Bears a draw against the Trojans Thursday night. The 1-1 result punched a ticket for Central Arkansas to claim a spot in the UAC Championship in early November.
The Bears (7-6-5, 4-2-3 UAC) needed any kind of result other than a loss to claim a spot in postseason, and Central Arkansas did just enough to see it through. Manabe's PK was her sixth goal of the year, and delivered for the Bears when momentum was not on their side.
Early on, however, the Bears looked to jump out early.
Megan Moudy and Manabe each saw shots on goal in the first six minutes, presenting immediate threats for the Bears. It rang an echo from the first meeting of the year, when the Bears scored twice in the first 12 minutes of the match in Conway.
But in Little Rock, the Trojans were able to muster a counter attack, even if it didn't immediately yield results. The Trojans peppered
Anna Kathryn Harrell in goal midway through the half, but the senior goaltender was rock solid, keeping the home team out of the net through a bunch of early looks.
Scoreless at half, the second half continued much like the first: Manabe with an early shot on goal, Little Rock flipping the pressure to its own offensive third.
Liza Dugan nearly broke the scoring open in the 59
th, putting a shot on a rope toward the top of the goal, but the Little Rock keeper got off the ground and made the save. Finally, in the 74
th, Little Rock found the first goal of the match, and suddenly, the Bears were in a potentially bad spot. With a loss, the Bears would have a much more difficult path to postseason, with the advantage cut to one point in the table and no tiebreaker to save the day.
Little Rock continued to press deep into the second half, and the moment started to feel as if it would slip through the fingers of the Bears, who only needed a draw entering the match. With just minutes left,
Jama Akpanudo took a ball and sprinted up the left side of the field. Getting into the box, she was fouled, giving Central Arkansas a lifeline at the PK spot. Manabe stepped up, dangerous with the ball at her feet, and laced it into the bottom left corner of the net, giving the Trojan keeper no chance to save it.
Little Rock drove right back down with under a minute on the clock, and saw a good chance with seconds remaining, but Harrell punched it out and held on for the draw.
With the result, Central Arkansas indeed claims a spot in the UAC Championships, eliminating the Trojans and locking in the three teams from the Red Division. With the field set, all that remains is jockeying for position in the final standings with one more game on Sunday. The Bears will face Tarleton State on the road for the regular season finale, kicking off at 1 p.m. in Stephenville, Texas.
