CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas women's soccer team prepares for the semifinals of the ASUN Championship on Thursday, facing Lipscomb after a 12-day break. Kickoff against the Bisons is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CT in Fort Myers, Florida.

The Bears (9-6-2, 8-1-2 ASUN) secured a double-bye berth in the ASUN Championship after finishing the regular season as a No. 2 seed. It's the second straight No. 2 seed for Central Arkansas and the third time in four years that the Bears have reached the semifinals of the ASUN Championship.

Central Arkansas will be aided in its pursuit of an ASUN title by several All-Conference players, most notably First Team All-ASUN midfielder Kelly Van Gundy. The Flower Mound, Texas native led the Bears with nine goals, setting a career high, and again led the Bears with 19 points. In ASUN games, she scored eight goals and four game wins, both of which were second in the ASUN.

But Van Gundy wasn't the only reason for the Bears' success this year. Nina Mazzola, Gabby Thies And Kajsa Pruner They all received ASUN honors after contributing to the defense that allowed 1.94 goals per game with three shutouts. Additionally, Anna Kerr has been a problem at the top of the offense, as she led the Bears with four assists this season and added three goals to her tally.

Central Arkansas was also able to lean on its young talent and received three All-Freshman nominations Jama Akpanudo, Sophia Backstrom And Addylan Wright. Akpanudo and Backstrom contributed to the offense with a total of five goals and three assists, while Wright started 14 games in defense and emerged as a key figure by the end of the season.

The Bears will face Lipscomb, which defeated Bellarmine in the quarterfinals to reach this round. The Bison picked up their 12^Th Win of the season after scoring two late goals and equalizing in the 74th minute^Th Minute before he scored the game-winning goal in double overtime.

Central Arkansas defeated Lipscomb in the regular season meeting, went to Nashville and handed the Bisons their first regular season, ASUN home loss in five years. After conceding two early goals, the Bears fought back and finally scored the game-winning goal in the 79th minute^Th Minute, thanks to a free kick from Van Gundy.

Kickoff against the Bisons is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CT in Fort Myers, Florida. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online.