(August 28, 2022) Mena, Arkansas – Coming off what has been a very emotional week for the Bucks Soccer programs, the ladies took the field on Sunday afternoon at Tapley Park with heavy hearts after losing one of the men's players on Tuesday evening. The ladies were taking on the 11^th ranked team in the country, the Rose State Raiders. Both teams come into today's match 0-1 on the season.

Rose State took the opening kickoff and kept the ball on their offensive end of the field. After a defensive stop for the Bucks, the Raiders scored the first goal of the game at 2:43. The Bucks took the next kickoff and pushed down field that resulted in a couple of corner kicks and a shot on goal. Both teams would then go back and forth in the midfield with each team getting a corner kick until the midway point in the half. Both teams would trade possession in the midfield for the reminder of the half with Rose State leading 1-0.

To start the second half, Rose State got a couple of unsuccessful corner kicks before the Bucks countered with a shot on goal. The Bucks continued to make a few runs but came up unsuccessful. Rose State countered once again and came up empty on some corner kicks of their own. The Raiders would continue to control the ball past the midway point before the Bucks countered just under 20 minutes and maintained possession. At 78:18, the Bucks got a corner kick and made it count. Maradona Vilca (Hickory Creek, TX) played a ball to the back post and found the head of Abbie Sunners (Liverpool, England) for the Bucks first goal of the season and tied the match at 1-1.

Rose State maintained possession after the kickoff for the next 5 minutes, but the Bucks were able to counter again in the 84^th minute. Rose State made a counter of their own, but the Bucks defense held off the Raiders to send the game into overtime.

Rose State made the first attack of the first overtime period. Majority of the overtime was played in the midfield. After the Bucks pushed the ball downfield, Rose State made an unsuccessful run with less than a minute left, and the match went into the second overtime.

In the second overtime, Rose State possessed the ball, and the Bucks committed a foul in the box to setup a penalty kick in the 104^th minute. Rose State's attempt was successful, and the Bucks fell 2-1 to the Raiders.

The Bucks continue region play on Wednesday, August 31^st, at Redlands Community College.

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