Five Bears took their final bows in the women’s soccer team’s last home game against the North Alabama Lions, who were crushed underfoot in a 3-1 victory Oct. 16.
The Bears made quick work of the Lions, scoring two goals in the first to North Alabama’s one. Senior forward Taylor Lassiter grabbed the Bear’s first goal of the game off an assist from senior midfielder Abby Gibson. UCA Sophomore midfielder Kelly Van Gundy grabbed the second, assisted by senior Taylor Webb and sophomore defender Gabby Thies.
The Lions hit back with their only goal, scored by junior Defender Malin Andersson, bringing the score to 2-1 with the Bears up.
In the second half, senior midfielder Sydney Brough scored the final goal of the match, assisted by sophomore Amanda Walsh and Van Gundy.
The Bears took a total of 12 shots to North Alabama’s 15. UCA managed six saves to the Lion’s two. Both teams grabbed 3 corner kicks each. North Alabama incurred 12 fouls to UCA’s seven.
The game marks the Bear’s highest number of points earned, 11, goals grabbed, 3, and assists performed, 5, in their 2022 season.
UCA’s women’s soccer seniors celebrate at their last home game Oct. 16. Seniors Gracie Hair, Taylor Webb, Laurel Landry, Abby Gibson and Taylor Lassiter shared their plans after graduation and celebrated their time on the team with pre-game festivities.
The 3-1 win clinched the team a spot in the ASUN championships.
Before the game, Senior Day festivities were held, honoring all the graduating members of the team.
Two fifth-year seniors — Gracie Hair and Taylor Webb — had the unique marker of winning championship titles in two separate conferences; the ASUN West title in 2021 and the Southland regular season title in 2018.
Hair, a defender from Tulsa, Oklahoma, was named First-Team All ASUN in 2021 and United Soccer Coaches All-South Second Team in 2021 for her contribution to the team’s defense — including seven shutouts in the 2021 season.
Hair is one of few players in school history who have scored in five different seasons; one every year of her career. She has a career total of 10 goals and 12 assists and is a steadfast player in defense with 33 shutouts.
Hair said her favorite memories as a Bear were winning the Southland Conference title in her freshman year and the ASUN title in her senior year.
“Winning freshman year was fun because the team was full of personality and everyone was so close … and winning as a senior, despite being so full of ups and downs, it was electric once the team got to ASUN play,” Hair said.
Hair said she plans to pursue a career in medical sales after graduation and is “excited about where that career might take her.”
Webb, another fifth-year defender, has made over 81 appearances and 66 starts in her career at UCA. Webb is one of five players in school history to log over 6,000 minutes and is fifth-all-time with 6,277 minutes on the pitch. Webb, like Hair, is one of few players to score in five different seasons with eight goals total.
Webb said her favorite memory with the team was their trip to France in 2019. She said seeing a new country with her best friends was a highlight, as well as winning two rings and contributing to the team’s two conference titles.
After graduation, Webb plans to pursue a professional soccer career in Norway.
She said to her younger teammates, “As cliché as it is, do not take any moment for granted. Have all the experiences you can, laugh as much as possible and work as hard as you can on and off the field. Even though records, soccer and school are all super important – remember that the people next to you are what matters most.”
Senior Midfielder Laurel Landry was honored for her time as a Bear. Landry suffered a season-ending injury before 2022, taking her off the field for the current season. In her career, Landry has made 45 appearances with 37 starts. She has a total of seven goals and four assists. Her favorite memory on the team was its shutout win against North Florida last season that secured the team’s ASUN West title.
Landry plans to become a personal trainer after graduation. She said that even though her career did not end the way she wanted it to, she wanted to thank her family and teammates for supporting her.
Gibson was honored as well, having started 65 of the 67 matches she played — Gibson was a reliable player in the midfield. She marked over 5,000 minutes of playtime during her career, with nine goals and four game-winners.
Gibson plans on continuing her education with a graduate degree in speech-language pathology. Gibson thanked her family for supporting her through school and soccer and “always being there for anything and everything.”
Lassiter has made her mark on the team as a forward since transferring from Georgia State for the 2021 season. She appeared in 42 games for the Bears and leads the 2022 season with four goals, including a game-winner against Kennesaw State.
Lassiter’s favorite memory with the team was feeling the love and support from her teammates after scoring the opening goal against ASUN conference newcomer Queen’s University.
Lassiter plans to return to Dallas, Texas, after graduation to pursue a master’s degree or start her career in business marketing.
Coach Jeremy Bishop thanked the players for their contributions to the team and applauded their skills.
“We’ve got a great group of seniors, they’re a fantastic group,” Bishop said. “They’ve been everything for our program for a long time — especially those two fifth years. All of them have been phenomenal. They’re hard workers, great teammates and really great players. We’re going to miss them a lot.”