STATESBORO - Sun Belt Conference newcomer Central Arkansas scored twice in a three-minute stretch late in the second half to claim a 2-1 men's soccer victory over host Georgia Southern on Friday evening at Eagle Field.

The Eagles (6-6-1, 1-1 SBC) saw a three-game unbeaten streak come to a close, while Central Arkansas (7-5-1, 2-1 SBC) notched its second league road win in as many tries in its first season of Sun Belt play. The meeting was the first between the two schools. Georgia Southern returns to action on Tuesday, hosting Winthrop in a non-conference matchup at 7 p.m. 

As its done in the last three matches, Georgia Southern started quickly as senior Azaad Liadi sprinted up the left flank with the ball, carried it into the box and rocketed a shot past Central Arkansas goalkeeper Marc Olsen in the 22nd minute for a 1-0 lead. The Eagles took that one-goal lead into the break, even though the Bears held a 6-4 edge in shots.

In the second half, the Eagles looked poised to see out the 1-0 victory but Alberto Suarez' strike from distance in the 76th minute equalized, then Niklas Brodacki's header off of a service from Will Laufer right on the 78 minute mark turned the deficit into a one-goal lead for the visiting Bears.

The Eagles had several chances to tie the match in the final 10 minutes, but Asgeir Kristjansson's shot in the 85th minute took a deflection wide to the left, and a header from Liadi after the successive corner floated high over the crossbar.

"Central Arkansas are a good team and they're going to bring a lot to the conference," Georgia Southern Head Men's Soccer Coach John Murphy said. "I'm disappointed being up at home and not finishing the job. The equalizer was fantastic and gave them a real boost. But that's soccer, you have to find a way to overcome that and bounce back. 

"I thought we were gonna be fine," Murphy said. "But to concede the second one, you're really making it difficult for yourself. We created chances at the end, but they know how to manage the game. They're very mature, they've won things together, and those are the places we're trying to get to. On the way we're have to find a better way to close out a game better than that. I'm disappointed but not disheartened. We need to move on and get ready for Tuesday night."

Central Arkansas finished the night with a 14-10 edge in shots. Jose Eduardo Bomfim had a third consecutive match in net for the Eagles with five saves, while Olsen made a pair for the Bears. Central Arkansas had a 5-4 edge in corner kicks and were whistled for seven fouls, while the Eagles committed 11 fouls and a pair of offsides.