Other Sports
UCA falls 5-2 at top-ranked SMU as Cook makes 11 saves
Merrick Cook made 11 saves and the Bears scored twice, but top-ranked SMU rode Soghomonian’s hat trick to a win.
DALLAS — Merrick Cook made a career-high 11 saves Tuesday night, but Central Arkansas still fell 5-2 to top-ranked SMU in Dallas.
The loss dropped UCA men’s soccer to 6-5-2 overall.
The Bears are 3-1-1 in ASUN play.
SMU stayed unbeaten at 11-0-2 behind a hat trick from Stephan Soghomonian.
UCA’s two goals are worth a second look, though. No other team has scored more than once against SMU this season.
It’s also more than the Bears scored in their previous nine meetings with the Mustangs combined.
A long night in goal
SMU took 26 shots, and 16 of them were on target.
Cook, a senior, stopped 11 of them and played all 90 minutes.
UCA got off seven shots, with four on goal. SMU’s goalkeeping only had to make two saves.
Senior defender Joseph Mwamba broke up several SMU attacks in transition and helped the Bears get the ball back.
The Mustangs also had a 7-3 edge in corner kicks.
Soghomonian put them ahead in the fourth minute.
He also scored both of SMU’s goals against UCA last season.
Back to even
SMU kept the Bears out of the attacking third for most of the first half.
The Mustangs didn’t get a second goal until the 43rd minute, when redshirt junior Andre Philibbosian scored.
UCA got one back in the final minute of the half. Sophomore Kaisei Matsudo headed in a pass from junior Rico Duggan to make it 2-1 at halftime.
The Bears tied it in the 48th minute. Sophomore Samuel Switzer scored the first goal of his college career.
Junior defender Logan Smith had the assist, his third of the season.
That ties him with four teammates for the team lead.
SMU pulls away
SMU went back ahead 3-2 in the 52nd minute when Soghomonian made a penalty kick.
His third goal came in the 75th minute and made it 4-2.
UCA had a few chances of its own. Junior forward Michael Walenchok took a pass from Duggan in transition and put a shot on goal, but he was called offside.
Sophomore Garner Wolfe’s shot from outside the box in the 76th minute went just over the crossbar.
Landon Hickam, who also assisted on Soghomonian’s first goal, scored SMU’s fifth in the 79th minute.
Mukisa Emmanuel set up both of SMU’s last two goals.
The Bears host Queens on Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Bill Stephens Track and Soccer Complex. It’s their final home match of the season.
ESPN+ will stream the match, and live stats will be available online.
