After winning the regular season MVC Bears had to play Missouri State in first round at MVC in Evansville. Purple Bears had beaten Maroon Bears in last regular season game to win the league then won again in 2-2 match decided by penalty kicks.......
https://ucasports.com/news/2018/11/9/MSOC_1109182.aspx?path=msocThe Bears defeated Loyola 2-1 to win the tourney for the 2nd consecutive year..........
https://ucasports.com/news/2018/11/11/MSOC_111118.aspx?path=msocGame Recap: Men's Soccer | 11/11/2018 5:53:00 PM
BEARS OUTLAST RAMBLERS FOR SECOND STRAIGHT MVC TOURNAMENT TITLE
Evansville, Indiana - The Central Arkansas men's soccer team entered Sunday's Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship match looking to become the first team to earn back-to-back Tournament Titles since Creighton accomplished the feat in 2011-12.
The Bears were able to do just that, defeating the Loyola Ramblers 2-1 to earn a second-consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament and becoming the sixth team in MVC history to earn a pair of MVC Tournament crowns.
The match didn't see much action early on as neither team posted a shot on target in the first 15 minutes of the match. Central Arkansas would be awarded a penalty in the 18th minute after Soren Jensen touched the ball around the Loyola keeper Josh Lagudah and would be taken down in the box. Niklas Brodacki was the man to step up from 12 yards out and made no mistake as he buried the penalty right down the middle of the goal, giving UCA a 1-0 lead and pushing his scoring streak to four tournament matches in a row.
Loyola would nearly level things up in the 30th minute after a 20-yard strike from Billy Hency rattled the crossbar, but his attempt bounced the wrong way for a goal kick. It would be the closest either team got to scoring again in the first half as Central Arkansas headed into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
Central Arkansas would come out flying in the second half, scoring eight minutes in. Christian Ilia would launch a free kick into the Loyola box, where Jake Bates headed it to Daltyn Knutson. Knutston used his head to volley the ball of the crossbar and in, pushing the UCA advantage to 2-0 in the 53rd minute.
Chris Holmes would nearly add a third score for the Bears in the 61st minute as he saw a volley effort from just inside the 18 yard box flash just wide and the score remained 2-0.
Despite creating few chances throughout the match, Loyola would get back in it in the 80th minute after earning a penalty kick off of a hand ball call in the box. Aidan Megally converted from the spot and cut the lead to 2-1 with just over 10 minutes to play.
Despite increased pressure from the Ramblers, Central Arkansas was able to hold the lead, becoming the 14th team since 1991 to win both the MVC Regular Season and Tournament Titles. The Bears would see four players named to the All-Tournament team in Brodacki, Holmes, Knutson and Bates. Holmes earned the Elite 17 award and Knutson was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Head coach Ross Duncan was thrilled about his team's performance and noted his team still has one more goal to achieve.
"The guys could not have been more prepared for this match, they brought a fire and intensity that we've seen all season and it got us a win; it's a great day for our program," said Duncan.
"Our goal is to advance beyond the first round [NCAA Tournament]. I think the experience we have is going to serve us really well as we move forward."
The Bears will find out their opponent and destination for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at 12:00 PM tomorrow afternoon. Fans are invited to join the team for a watch party at UCA's weekly Bear Backers luncheon, in the Hall of Fame Room at Estes Stadium.
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While I am not a soccer guru nor have any experience playing, I have caught some of the men's games when in Conway for football.........Niklas brodacki appears to be the real deal and the entire team plays with intensity..........good luck at NCAAs!!
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