Razorback soccer team opens SEC play at Tennessee on Friday

The Lady Razorbacks return home on Sunday to face Grand Canyon.

The No. 11 Arkansas soccer team will open SEC play Friday with a trip to Tennessee, before returning home to finish it’s non-conference slate against Grand Canyon on Sunday.

It will be the 22nd meeting all-time, between the Lady Razorbacks (3-2-1) and Lady Vols (5-1-1), who last met in the 2021 SEC Tournament championship match, won by Tennessee. The match gets under way at 6 p.m. CT.

Tennessee is riding a three-match unbeaten streak after finishing its non-conference slate with a 5-1-1 record with a loss at SMU and a draw against Indiana.

Arkansas will then host Grand Canyon at 1 p.m. Sunday at Razorback Field. The Lady Lopes are making their return trip to Fayetteville, after the Razorbacks earned a 3-0 victory in Phoenix last season.

Grand Canyon is coming off a 2-0 win against North Dakota on Sept. 10. It was the fifth shutout for the Lopes through the first eight games of the season.

The Razorbacks are looking to bounce back from a pair of tough road losses to No. 4 North Carolina and No. 9 Clemson. Both games this weekend will be streamed on the SEC+ network.

Sunday’s match will also coincide with Brew Pig Sooie, the first outdoor beer festival hosted by the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Quick Kicks

  • The Hogs enter week five ranked No. 11 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and No. 17 in TopDrawerSoccer’s poll.
  • Since 2019, the Hogs are 19-10-4 on the road and have beaten four ranked teams. Arkansas is 4-6-2 in ranked road matches since 2019.
  • Arkansas will look to extend its 25-match home unbeaten streak, which dates back to 2021.
  • The Hogs have gone 23-0-2 at Razorback Field since beating No. 25 BYU on Aug. 30, 2021.
  • Dating back to 2016, Arkansas is 60-9-4 at Razorback Field
  • Arkansas has had 11 players score its 18 goals in 2023. Three of the 11 have come off the bench and two of the 18 goals were netted by goalkeeper Sierra Cota-Yarde.
  • Graduate senior Anna Podojil enters the weekend as the DI leader in points (122) and ranks second in goals (46).
  • Podojil was named to United Soccer Coaches Forwards to Watch list and TopDrawerSoccer’s Preseason Best XI Third Team and the No. 29 player on their preseason top 100 watch list.
  • Podojil, Ellie Podojil, Bea Franklin, Kiley Dulaney, Ava Tankersley and Makenzie Malham joined the SEC Preseason Watch List