PINE BLUFF, AR—The Lady Lions made program history tonight as they beat the UCA Bears 1-0 at the UAPB Soccer Field.

The Bears came out to play tonight but the Lady Lions were ready to take them on. The first half saw the Lady Lions up 1-0 off a penalty kick scored by Silvia Fuentes. Nicole Parks-Powell fought hard to win the ball and she passed it to Fuentes who carried the ball into the 18 yard box. The penalty was conceded when the UCA defender tripped Fuentes in the box.

Both halves were fairly even for each team with UAPB dominating in the first and UCA fighting hard to come back in the second. The Lady Lions had multiple chances on goal but no more would get past the UCA keeper. Nicole Parks-Powell had a goal called back for a delayed foul and a UCA shot hit the crossbar. The Bears pressured the Lady Lions hard in the second half but the Lady Lions were determined to get the win.

“I am very proud of the way the girls performed tonight. It was a grind out there and they kept their composure,” said Coach Roberto Mazza.

A flashback to last Sunday's game saw the Lady Lions give up two goals in the final minutes of play and Coach Mazza sees the positive in that experience in tonight's game versus UCA.

“I think that going through the ASU game gave us a good experience. Tonight the girls showed how they learned to focus and fight hard for 90 minutes and to not give up a late goal,” said Mazza.

Sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Wood made ten saves tonight and recorded her second shutout of the season. Fuentes currently leads the country in assists per game.  

The Lady Lions begin SWAC play on the road next Friday at 3PM versus Grambling State, a Western Division rival.