CONWAY, Ark. – Sophomore forward
Allison Abendschein and freshman midfielder
Charlotte Vancura broke a scoreless tie with goals 95 seconds apart – the latter goal coming in the 86
th minute – as HBU won its third-straight match with a 2-0 victory over Central Arkansas Sunday afternoon at the Bill Stephens Track/Soccer Complex.
"I am very proud with the way the team fought today," said head coach
Misty Jones. "We had to make some personnel changes before the game even started. We didn't play our best soccer, but we never gave up and displayed a passion to win. We earned three points on the road and in this conference, this late in the season, that is huge."
Abendschein and Vancura earned two points with the goals, while
Rebekah Tovar assisted on Vancura's goal. Abendschein and
Natalie Hager each led HBU (5-6-3 overall, 4-1-2 SLC) with four shots, as Hager had three shots on goal.
Patty Walrath made five saves as she evened her record to 5-5-2.
Brooke Ballard led UCA (5-8-2 overall, 1-5-1 SLC) with four shots and three shots on goal. Anna Hughes made five saves in goal.
Neither team had golden scoring opportunities in the first half, as UCA outshot the Huskies, 5-3.
Less than a minute into the second half, Hughes made back-to-back saves on Hager shots to keep the match scoreless.
In the 56
th minute, UCA's Stacia Carroll's shot hit the cross bar and the rebound found Ballard, who shot it high.
In the 69
th minute, Ballard almost scored again, as a Huskies' defender stopped a potential goal.
The Huskies got on the scoreboard in the 84
th minute, as Abendschein maneuvered through the Bears' defense and scored from 15 yards out. In the 86
th minute, Vancura gave the Huskies an insurance goal, as Tovar fed Vancura, who scored from 20 yards out.
UCA put the pressure on the final four minutes in regulation, but Walrath made two critical saves for the clean sheet.
UCA outshot HBU in the match, 14-13, but HBU had more shots on goal, 7-5. The Bears had six corner kicks to HBU's five.
HBU plays at Nicholls Friday, Oct. 24 at 4 pm, followed by a 1 pm kick on Oct. 26 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
