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Men’s Soccer Starts ASUN Play at Home Against North Florida

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CONWAY, Ark. – Barely at home during the nonconference portion of the schedule, the Central Arkansas men’s soccer team kicks off its second season of ASUN Conference play on its own field as the Bears take on North Florida on Saturday. Kickoff against the Ospreys is set for 7 pm at the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex.

The Bears captured their first win of the season last time they took the pitch, downing Air Force 3-1 at home on Monday. A thorough effort from top to bottom, the team got off to a quick start thanks to Jerry Gutierrez’s bicycle kick in the 11thth minutes. Bernard Assibey-Rhule added the second goal of the first half in the 34thth minute, scoring just seconds after being subbed into the match.

Richard-Miguel Lapointe-Guevara rounded out the scoring with a tap-in in the 54thputting the game out of reach for the Falcons.

The three goal scorers for the Bears raised the tally of goal scorers to six, with all six scoring once a piece. So far this year, the talking point around the team has been the ability to limit the opposing offenses, as was shown in the West Coast trip, where Central Arkansas kept two NCAA Tournament teams scoreless for the majority of the time.

Across the pitch on Saturday will be the Ospreys of North Florida. Currently sitting at 0-3 on the year, North Florida has also been through a meat grinder to start the season, playing three teams that finished with an RPI of 58 or higher. Most recently, the Ospreys dropped a 2-0 match to No. 13 Florida International, holding the nationally ranked Panthers scoreless for 50 minutes before succumbing to a pair of second half goals.

With the brutal start to the schedule, the Ospreys have scored just once this season, in the boot of Angus Taylor. Between the pipes, Padraic Gilley has allowed five goals, recording 10 saves.

Head coach of the Ospreys is Derek Marinatos, now in his 12th yearth season at the helm of the program. He holds a record of 61-96-15 in his time in Jacksonville.

Kickoff against the Ospreys is set for 7 pm on Saturday at the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+, with live stats available here.