(September 3, 2025) Mena, Arkansas - After going 2-0 in their non-region matches in August, the ladies had a week and a half break to prepare for their first region match against Eastern Oklahoma. The Bucks and Mountaineers are both in the South Division of NJCAA Region 2. Last season, the ladies and EOSC split, each winning on their own turf.

 

Despite summer being over, the heat returned, and it had a big effect on the pace of the game as both teams struggled to find any spark. The opening salvos were very slow as each team gave away possession of the ball with high regularity. UARM created a great opportunity to take the lead in the 15^th minute when Caitlyn Turner (Napier Hawkes Bay, New Zealand) put Maya Lane (Southend-on-Sea, England) through on goal, but her shot was saved well by the diving goalkeeper to her right. The ladies didn't have to wait too long though to get that first goal, when seven minutes later Marie Mongoin (Le Tignet, France) won a header in midfield to find the feet of Solange Depirou (St. Albans, England) in an advanced position, and she took care of the rest with a mazey dribble through two defenders before finishing high into the net. The goal didn't have much of an effect on the quality of the game as both teams continued to struggle to keep the ball, and as a result, the ball stayed in the midfield for most of the remaining time of the first half with no real scoring chances developing. 

 

The second half started with Eastern on the offense, pushing the ball forward with regularity and created some good looks at the UARM goal. Against the run of play, the Bucks took a 2-0 lead when a corner kick from Ramzee Matejka (Jacksonville, TX) found Maya Lane in front of goal, and she slammed the ball high into the goal. While Eastern was reorganizing, the ladies scored again only three minutes later with Flavia Marcano (Porter, TX) receiving a pass in midfield from Marie Mongoin and let loose a rocket shot which sailed into the top corner of the net from 25 yards to make it 3-0, which would be the final score.  

 

Coach Sherry was happy for his team, but knows that the girls need to continue to push forward as they get deeper into their schedule. "It was not our best performance, and we still have a lot to learn. The ladies did so well to work it through and get the win. We are continuoulsy looking to improve, and this game gave us so much material to learn from. I am excited about this team moving forward. Addison Gonzalez (Wylie,TX), Flavia, Ramzee, and Marcele Luiza Saravia (Florianopolis, Brazil) were the stand outs for UARM, but the team as a whole can be proud of how they all worked together to get that important home, region win."

 

The Bucks return to action on Sunday against #3 Seminole State College. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 pm at Tapley Park. 

 

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