The UCA women’s soccer team secured a victory over the North Alabama Lions, clinching the number two seed in the conference tournament. 

The Bears improved to a 9-6-record as they secured a hard-fought 2-1 win against the North Alabama Lions Saturday evening.

The Lions took a lead early in the game with two shots that put them ahead. 

The Bears’ response helped put them over the top against the Lions. Senior midfielder Kelly Van Gundy and senior forward Anna Kerr responded with goal shots and came together in the end to score a goal.

Central Arkansas faced many obstacles throughout the game but was able to come together in the end to make game-winning plays.

Van Gundy and freshman forward Jama Akpanudo helped put the Bears over the hump in the end to help secure a victory.

Van Gundy said it was important for the team to win this game.

“I am most proud of my team for fighting to do what we needed to do. The conference title came down to what FGCU did in their game, but to secure a tournament bye into the semis, we had to take care of today with a win. It wasn’t easy, but we did what we needed to do,” Van Gundy said. 

Van Gundy said there are many techniques the team wants to improve on before the ASUN championship.

“I would say my performance was consistent compared to the last game. My main goal as a player is to make sure that I come out each game playing consistent soccer,” Van Gundy said. “So I don’t feel it changes much. I feel like it is easier for my team to trust me when I do what I need to do game in and game out. I did get more shots on goal this game, which ultimately gave me a better opportunity to score,” she said.

She said putting teams away early in games and being consistent throughout the season is still a work in progress for the Bears as they begin to prepare for the ASUN championship.

“Our team has been performing so consistently and so well this entire season. I would say the only thing for my team, including myself, to improve on is finishing our opportunities early. The teams in this conference are so good when we don’t put away those chances in the beginning, they can be really hard to come by again,” Van Gundy said.

The Bears are now preparing for the ASUN Championship as they will be the number two seed going into the semi-finals.

The Bears’ next game will be at 2 p.m. Nov. 7 in Fort. Myers, Florida, against either of the three teams — Austin Peay, Lipscomb or Bellarmine.