The world of soccer is used to seeing various delays due to animals. There is the canonical dog running on the pitch of course, but there's also been raccoons and even parrots that have paused matches in recent years.
But on Wednesday, Oct. 28, we were introduced to a seemingly new entry in the genre: a bear delay.
Thankfully for all those involved in the women's match between Winthrop and UNC Asheville, the bears did not actually enter the field of play, as is typically the case in an animal delay.
But the proximity of several black bears to the field in Asheville caused the game to be delayed near the end of the first half.
Per the UNC Asheville match report: "Along with the action on the pitch, the first half did feature a short bear delay as
bears were spotted near the field in the final 15 minutes of the first half."
It is unclear why the bears were so close to the field but we can't discount the possibility that these were simply soccer-loving bears. One interested spectator simply perched on a hill behind the goal, getting an ideal view of a corner kick.
HALF | Scoreless but not without a 🐻 sighting
— Asheville Women’s Soccer (@UNCAvlWSoccer) October 28, 2026
🦅 0 | 🐶 0
📺 https://t.co/QS7L4gZd72
📊 https://t.co/dPQstfIZJC #ALLinAVL pic.twitter.com/FFz74sEXgW
With that tactical vantage point, the bear can perfectly discern how both teams plan to break down their opponent.
Other bears were bolder on the night, getting closer to the action in a quest for either food or more understanding of UNC Asheville's 4-2-3-1 setup.
UNC Asheville defeated Winthrop 2-1, earning a spot in the Big South Conference tournament. The Bulldogs are likely to host at least one match in the tournament, meaning more bear delays are always a possibility.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bear delay pauses UNC Asheville-Winthrop women's soccer match
