Other Sports
Central Arkansas women’s soccer falls in season-opening loss
UCA’s soccer team opened its season with a home defeat as Oral Roberts pulled away in the second half.
Central Arkansas women’s soccer kicked off its 2026 season with a 4-1 home loss to Oral Roberts on Aug. 12 in Conway.
The result dropped UCA to 0-1 to start the year. Four players made their debuts for UCA in the opener, giving fans a first look at some new faces on the roster.
The lone bright spot for the home side came from freshman Liza Dugan who scored her first career goal in the 68th minute.
Her goal came off a free kick from Megan Moudy that bounced through the box before landing at Dugan’s feet.
Early in the match the action stayed fairly even with both teams pushing into the attacking third. UCA earned an early corner kick but couldn’t turn the chance into a shot.
Golden Eagles pull away
A round of substitutions for Oral Roberts near the 30-minute mark changed the tempo of the match.
Those changes led directly to the Golden Eagles’ first goal not long after. Amaris Hamilton-Grein opened the scoring at the 29:39 mark with an assist from Addy Johnson.
Johnson then scored one of her own just a few minutes later to make it 2-0 before halftime.
UCA kept fighting into the second half but had trouble finding good spots near the goal with enough numbers to finish plays.
By the 65th minute Oral Roberts had built a comfortable cushion, adding goals from Brianna Castleberry and Luci Rodriguez.
Harrell keeps busy in net
Goalkeeper Anna Kathryn Harrell had a full night of work, making seven saves across all 90 minutes for UCA.
Oral Roberts finished with a big edge in shots, firing off 16 attempts compared to four for UCA. The Golden Eagles also held an edge in shots on goal with 11 to UCA’s one.
UCA did manage two corner kicks on the night while Oral Roberts had one. The two sides combined for 17 fouls and split four total offsides calls between them.
Dugan’s goal proved to be the difference between a shutout and a one-goal finish for UCA despite the lopsided score.
UCA now heads out on the road for its next couple of matches. The team will travel to face Tulsa on Sunday with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
Key takeaways
- Central Arkansas dropped its 2026 season opener 4-1 to Oral Roberts at home
- Freshman Liza Dugan scored her first collegiate goal off a Megan Moudy assist
- UCA travels to Tulsa on Aug. 16 for its next match
