The women’s soccer Bears fell 3-0 against Big-12 opponent Oklahoma State in a tough matchup. Despite the drop, the Bears made a solid effort and drew Bellarmine 1-1 in their first conference game of the season.
Coming off a win against Grambling State, the Bears played hard against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls, who came into the game at the top of their conference standings.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kajsa Pruner proved to be a powerhouse against Oklahoma State, managing 13 saves in the second half.
Senior midfielder Abby Gibson, sophomore forward Anna Kerr, freshman forward Tristyn Pavatt and sophomore Abby Johnson were all brave enough to take a shot at the Cowgirls but just couldn’t make the goal.
The Sept. 11 match lifted Oklahoma state to 5-2-1 overall and dropped UCA 2-4-1.
The Bears then hit the road for their first conference match against the Bellarmine Knights.
Bellarmine came into the game having no wins of the season, but an abundance of ties, with an overall score of 0-3-5.
Senior midfielder Sydney Brough came out hard against the Knights, firing off two shots back to back around the 15-minute mark.
Despite the Bears’ offensive efforts, redshirt freshman midfielder Alexa Orozco sneaked a goal past UCA’s Pruner, securing the first point of the game for Bellarmine.
Riled by the goal, the Bears upped their offense.
Sophomore midfielder Kelly Van Gundy nearly grabbed a goal for the Bears moments after the Knights’ score, but the shot ricocheted off the woodwork.
Coach Jeremy Bishop countered the Knights’ with a few rounds of substitutions, attempting to get fresh feet on the field.
Gibson attempted to grab the team another point, taking a shot with just minutes left in the first period, but came just out of sight.
The second half marked a more aggressive effort from the Bears, taking more shots and grabbing more balls than in the first.
Just 35 seconds in, graduate student defender Gracie Hair grabbed the team’s first and only goal of the night — also her first of the season.
“It was motivating to say the least. I just wanted to get out there and do what I could to help the team. Super proud of the fight to get back in the game after going down in the first half,” Hair said.
The goal was assisted by Brough, a consistent player for the Bears, logging 73 minutes in the match. Brough and Hair are tied for the most shots of the season 11-11.
“With a lot of new players on the team, I think my role now that I am a senior is to step up as the younger girls are looking up to me, and I need to lead by example. To be able to do that I need to perform and stay consistent,” Brough said.
The Bears continued making shots in the second half, many of which came dangerously close to the Knights’ final front. Bellarmine proved an equal opponent against UCA’s effort, and the game drew 1-1.
The matchup took place away from home, a seemingly unlucky charm for the Bears who have not been able to grab an away game win.
Hair said the team gave their best effort, “I think it was a great start to the conference season and points on the road are always good. We played well and are getting into our rhythm at the perfect time.”
The game brought the Bears to 2-4-2 overall and 0-0-1 in conference.
Next up was the Eastern Kentucky Colonels who stood 4-2-1 overall, and 0-0-1 in conference prior to their match against the Bears.
UCA took a 3-2 loss against the Colonels, bringing them to a 0-1-1 standing coming out of their second conference match of the season.
The Bears’ next game will be at home Sept. 22 against the Austin Peay Governors.