The UCA men’s soccer team bounced back from its Sept. 4 loss at home with a win Friday, Sept. 8, defeating the Air Force Falcons 2-1 at Cadet Soccer Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
UCA sophomore forward Pietro Fontana picked up both points — his second multi-goal game for the Bears.
The Bears (1-4-1) picked up their first win of the season after a hard-fought, physical match against the Falcons. This time around, it was Central Arkansas scoring in the final five minutes of the match, staying alert and refusing to let off the gas for 90 minutes.
The teams traded possession early in the match, leading to UCA junior forward Devonte Richards taking the first shot of the contest in the 13th minute. Air Force responded with its first shot seven minutes later, leading to a counterattack by the Bears.
Weaving down the field, Richards again ended up with a clean shot, but Air Force goalkeeper Jakob Stone punched it out. Unfortunately for the Falcons, the deflected shot landed right at Fontana’s feet, who lined up a perfect shot that put the Bears ahead 1-0 early in the game.
Air Force tied the game in the latter stages of the first half, stringing together multiple passes and moving up the field with purpose. But every drive ended the same, with the Bears, usually sophomore defender Elijah Bishop or sophomore goalkeeper Connor Wachtel, neutralizing the Falcons’ offensive attack.
While Bishop and the defenders prevented the ball from getting in the box at all, Wachtel was a strong player in the first half, keeping the stat sheet clean through the first 45 minutes of play.
But the Falcons’ coach, Doug Hill, made the right adjustments on the pitch at the half. The Falcons’ offense created a shot early in the second that bounced off the woodwork and, similar to the Bears’ first score, resulted in an equalizing goal.
The energy of the game shifted with the score knotted at 1-1. With both teams having shown an ability to score, both sides wanted more. The physicality ramped up, causing the foul count to rise as the Bears and Falcons both battled for an advantage.
With just under four minutes remaining, a combination pass from graduate student midfielder Jerry Gutierrez and Richards landed again at the feet of Fontana, who dribbled into the box and scored his second goal of the match, sliding one past the keeper into the left side of the goal.
It was the fifth goal of Fontana’s career, and his team-best third goal this season.
Wachtel made one last save from a shot-on-goal attempt with one minute remaining in the match, but the defense kept the Falcons outside the box through the final whistle, sealing the deal on the first win of the season for UCA.
The UCA men’s soccer team will face off against ASUN Conference opponent Bellarmine (1-1-3) for a home game at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, at the Bill Stephens Soccer/Track complex.