It was a bit of last-minute drama that sent Arkansas soccer fans home with a smile Sunday, as freshman forward Bella Field scored her first collegiate goal with 26 seconds remaining and put the the No. 11 Razorbacks ahead for good, in a 3-2 victory over Grand Canyon.
The 2,635 fans in attendance — the third largest crowd in program history — had just watched Grand Canyon (6-3-1) tie the score at 2-2 with 53 seconds left on the clock. But only 27 seconds later, the stands erupted after Field fired a near-post shot through the hands of ’Lopes goalkeeper Deaira Jackson, giving the Hogs (5-2-1) their fifth win of the season.
“We knew this would be a tough stretch,” Arkansas Head Coach Colby Hale said. “GCU is a good team. We played Friday for the SEC opener (a 3-1 win at Tennessee), and with travel and one day in between, we knew we’d have to grind through this one. We could’ve scored a few goals early that might have changed the match. We won and that’s what matters. We will celebrate this one, as winning is hard.”
Grand Canyon’s leading scorer Gianna Gourley notched the game’s first goal in the 11th minute. It remained 1-0 until the final two minutes of the half.
Arkansas tied the match at 1-1 on graduate forward Anna Podojil’s netter, off a free kick from senior Emilee Hauser. It was Podojil’s 47th career goal, which ranks second among active Division I players. She also tied her career-high with six shots, leading the way for the Hogs’ total of 25 in the match.
Then with 15 seconds left in the first half, the Razorbacks took their first lead when Zoe Shepherd scored her first career goal on a cross from Podojil, as the shot was mishandled by Jackson in net.
There was no scoring in the first 44 minutes of the second half, before GCU’s Bekah Valdez tied the match, as time wound down. But sophomore midfielder Makenzie Malham quickly sent a ball in, linked with senior forward Kiley Dulaney and graduate midfielder Bea Franklin, who got the ball to Field for the game-winner.
The Razorbacks will host No. 7 Alabama (6-0-4, 0-0-1 SEC) for the SEC home opener on Thursday. First kick is set for 6 p.m. and the match will be streamed on SEC Network Plus.