CONWAY, Ark. – Central Arkansas men's soccer (5-2-2, 2-0-1 ASUN) played Jacksonville to a 1-1 draw Saturday, with both teams scoring their lone goals in the first half.
From the start, Jacksonville looked to push the tempo and create runs into the Central Arkansas third. Despite the fast pace, the Bears stayed composed defensively and looked to create opportunities of their own, but it took some time for the offense to get going in the first half.
Jacksonville was caught offside multiple times throughout the match, finishing with seven offsides. The Dolphins struck first in the 15th minute when Quinten Koster found the back of the net after receiving a cross from Dante Wright on the near side of the field before Matias Tobon played the final pass.
Central Arkansas responded just six minutes later when Maxim Sheenkov scored his third goal of the season to even the match at 1-1. Following Sheenkov's goal, Jacksonville continued to play with pace but struggled to get multiple players downfield on its runs. The Central Arkansas defense consistently closed the gap, cleared the ball and disrupted Jacksonville's attackers as they entered the Bears' third.
Both teams struggled to capitalize on opportunities in the opposing third during the second half. Central Arkansas nearly created a scoring opportunity in transition in the 70th minute when Kyle Schwartz pushed the ball up the near side of the field and delivered a strong cross, but a Jacksonville defender was there to clear it away.
The physicality was also evident throughout the match, with Jacksonville committing 19 fouls and receiving five yellow cards compared to Central Arkansas' 14 fouls and one yellow card.
Goalkeeper Merrick Cook put together another solid performance in net, finishing the match with eight saves.
Central Arkansas will return to the road Tuesday at 7 p.m. when it travels to Missouri State, which enters the match undefeated at 7-0-1. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ with live statistics available online.
