CONWAY, Arkansas – Central Arkansas took the lead in the 32
nd minute, but HBU mounted a comeback in the final 10 minutes to tally the equalizer and the game-winner for a 2-1 victory Friday night at Bill Stephens TFS Stadium.
"What a game. I and the staff couldn't be more proud of these young men. They fought hard for this win. We had a great team effort tonight, from many aspects. The boys found themselves down 1-0 off of a great shot from outside our box. We battled through the rest of the half. The second half had several big defining moments," head coach
Steve Jones explained after the win.
Freshman forward
Malik Key was the first to score for the Huskies (2-2-1) to make the score 1-1 in the 81
st minute of the match from a perfectly slotted pass from redshirt freshman forward
Justin Martin. The previous play came from senior defender Devin Grant who picked off a pass dribbling the ball 84 yards just for a UCA player to clear the ball right to
Justin Martin. The game-winner came from a deflection, originally from the foot of Martin in the 87
th minute.
"From there the boys just pressured and battled as a team to preserve the win. We had so many players step up tonight. This was a much needed and deserved victory for these young men,"
Steve Jones commented.
The Huskies also played well defensively, allowing five shots on goal, and sophomore midfielder
Josue Palomino clearing a ball off of the goal line. Sophomore goalkeeper
Chance Pope recorded four saves with one goal against that was placed upper 90 from about 35 yards out.
Niklas Brodacki gave UCA (2-2-0) the lead in the 32
nd minute while Niklas Sandquist, Jordan Bates, Pepe San Roman, and Chris Holmes were the others to contribute to the five shots on goal. Marc Olsen records the loss in goal with three saves and two goals against.
The Huskies will finish the weekend by traveling to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to take on Oral Roberts at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
