STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The Central Arkansas women's soccer team finished out the regular season with a 0-0 draw at Tarleton State Sunday afternoon, locking into the No. 3 seed out of the UAC's Red Division.
The Bears close out the regular season with a 7-6-6 record, including a 4-2-4 UAC slate. The draw against the Texans extended Central Arkansas's unbeaten streak to six-straight games, with draws in each of the last three.
Central Arkansas almost found a goal quickly after kickoff. The Bears got a corner kick in the third minute, and
Sakiko Manabe played a great ball into a dangerous part of the box.
Caroline Billings was right there to put a head on it, but her attempt pinged off the crossbar, and
Emerson Kercher added a look that was also off target.
Over the middle part of the half, Tarleton State was able to build some momentum and move the ball forward, and had a series of corner kicks of its own that threatened, but didn't produce. The back line did an excellent job defending the UAC's leading scorer, Jessica Baires, preventing her from getting any clean looks or quality touches. As the half wore on, the Texans continued to push forward, and the Bears continued to repel attacks. Toward the end of the half, the Bears answered with a late corner kick that Kercher once again was on the receiving end of, but her shot was collected by the keeper to send the teams to the break scoreless.
Momentum continued to lean slightly in favor of Tarleton State as the second half progressed, with the occasional chance for the Bears.
Jama Akpanudo continued to play her chances, using her speed to try to stretch the Texan defense and catch a defender napping, but in large part, the home team stayed disciplined enough to prevent too many runs for the junior forward. Disaster almost struck with just seconds left on the clock, as a ball squeezed through the Central Arkansas defense to a sprinting Texan. After a collision in the box, she was able to score what seemed like the game-winner with just 23 seconds left on the clock. But after video review, it was determined that a foul had been committed by the Texan, disallowing the goal.
Central Arkansas now returns home, hosting the UAC Championship next week. As the No. 3 seed in the Red Division, the Bears will face the No. 2 seed out of the Blue Division, North Alabama. That game will be played next Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex.
