CONWAY, Ark. - The Stetson Hatters met with the Central Arkansas Bears for just the third time in history on Saturday, October 14 as the two teams played to a 1-1 draw in Conway, Arkansas. Stetson was looking to bounce back after a loss to Embry-Riddle on Wednesday and entered the game with a record of 5-4-3 (2-1-1 in the conference).

The game started with some action as Andres Mata attempted a shot just 10 minutes in, but the Bears' goalkeeper was there to make the save. However, it was the Bears who struck first in the 26th minute, scoring a goal that stemmed from a corner kick.

As the first half continued, Stetson's Xavi Csato attempted a shot to the bottom left corner, but it was again saved by the Bears' goalkeeper. Two minutes later, the Bears had a shot that hit the top woodwork, and shortly after that, Stetson managed to score a goal, with Luis Lara finding the back of the net. This marked Lara's third consecutive game with a goal, and he now had a total of nine points in three games.

In terms of shot attempts, the Bears led the Hatters 6-5 during the first half, and both teams had three corner kicks.

The second half began with a red card for Stetson, which made the game more challenging for them. Despite being a player down, Stetson continued to create opportunities, with Charles Ahl sending a shot down the middle, but it was saved by the Bears' keeper. Stetson's goalkeeper, sophomore Nicolo Radaelli, was also called upon to make a save.

The Hatters' defense tightened up, but the Bears had two shot attempts hit the left woodwork. Radaelli recorded another important save in the 86th minute, and the game eventually ended in a 1-1 draw.

Csato led Stetson with two shots in the match, and despite being outshot 7-13 by the Bears, Stetson had more shots on goal, leading 4-3.  Ahl, Ross Appolon, and Alvaro Gabancho played the full 90 minutes in the tie.

Radaelli made his 12th start in the goal and registered two saves on 13 shots faced. He's seen 123 shots and has made 35 saves with a .673 save percentage and three solo shutouts.

Head Coach Emmett Rutkowski reflected on the game, saying, "I'm so proud of this team and the resilience they showed as a group. It was a powerful team result to overcome the decision-making by the officials. We will look for some questions to be answered and reviewed."

Stetson's next game will be at home on Tuesday, October 17, as they prepare to host the USF Bulls at the ATC at 7:00 PM. The game will be available for live viewing on ESPN+ with livestats on GoHatters.com.