Photo (from left to right): Raegan Leung, Bethany Arbeene, Carys Williams, Alice Marek, Tatum Lewis, Presley McNab, Lydia Hall, Toni Williams, Lexi Pasierb, Brooklyn Kuchinski, Anabelle Tappe, Mattison Roberts, Jadyn Heiderscheidt, Emma Roach and Brooke Fluger.
The Central Arkansas Soccer Club ’08 Wildcats claimed the Arkansas Competitive Soccer League U12 championship this fall, finishing with a 4-1-2 record. Central Arkansas edged Texarkana Soccer Club by one point in the standings.
The Wildcats won three of their first four ACSL matches, posting a 2-2 draw with FC Dallas Central Arkansas (Searcy) in the opener. Central Arkansas defeated league newcomer Fayetteville 6-1 in early September, and then took down Texarkana (3-1) and Searcy (4-2) a month later. The Wildcats travelled to Texarkana for their fifth match, falling by one goal. Central Arkansas salvaged the trip with a 9-0 victory over the host team’s ’09 squad.
The Wildcats battled Maumelle to a 1-1 draw in the season finale. Central Arkansas, which trailed 1-0 at halftime, converted a free kick after a foul early in the second half. The match marked the third meeting between the clubs this season. Maumelle eliminated Central Arkansas 4-1 in September during the Rose Cup Tournament in Memphis. A month earlier, the Wildcats defeated Maumelle 2-0 in a friendly match.
Central Arkansas (12-5-2 overall) played in three tournaments this fall, earning a runner-up finish at the Capital City Cup in late September. The Wildcats lost in the final to Shreveport United Blue 3-0. Shreveport, one of the top-ranked clubs in Louisiana, defeated its opponents by a combined score of 16-6 to reach the final. The first 30 minutes was scoreless as Central Arkansas stymied Shreveport’s explosive attack. Shreveport pulled away in the second half, scoring twice in a two-minute span shortly after halftime.
Central Arkansas, coached by Julie Fluger, posted four clean sheets this season and held six opponents to one goal. Offensively, the Wildcats converted 55 of 177 shots on goal (31 percent). Twelve players scored, and eight recorded at least two goals.
Steve Landers CDJR in Little Rock sponsors Central Arkansas Soccer Club. The Wildcats are individually sponsored by Chreyton Electric, Bryant Family Pharmacy, Clark Contractors, Merchants & Farmers Bank, Tacos 4 Life, Big Red, Blue Sky Hope and Recovery Center, Elite Landscaping & Construction, Insultech, Jay Van Dover – Shelter, Lindsey’s Pools & Spas, Mid-Ark Roofing, PCA Technology Solutions and Summers Welding.