Tag: Arkansas soccer

No. 9 Arkansas soccer program claims fourth SEC title in five years

The Arkansas soccer team earned at least a share of the SEC crown with a win against Ole Miss on Sunday.

The 9th-ranked Arkansas soccer team did it again on Sunday, crushing Ole Miss 5-1, to secure it fourth SEC regular-season title in five years.

Razorback Field was filled with 3,035 rowdy fans, the fourth largest crowd in program history and the fourth top 10 crowd of the season.

The Razorbacks (11-3-2, 7-1-1 SEC) have 22 points in the standing, putting them three points ahead of  South Carolina (11-1-5, 5-0-4) with one game remaining. A win on Thursday against Mississippi State would secure the program’s third outright league title.

Junior Sophia Aragon got the scoring started in the ninth minute of the match started the scoring almost nine minutes into the match, getting a pass across the box from forward Morgan White, and finished it with a shot between the legs of the Ole Miss goalkeeper.

The Hogs added two more goals in two minutes, as freshman Bella Field came in off the bench to score in 25th minute, followed by a goal by senior Ava Tankersley in the 27th minute, taking the lead to 3-0 before halftime. Tankersley has now registered a point in six straight matches.

Graduate Anna Podojil, the program’s all-time leading scorer, kept things rolling with a goal in the 56th minute, the 49th of her career. Midfielder Bea Franklin earned her second assist of the match.

Freshman Kennedy Ball scored her second goal of the season, capping the Arkansas’ scoring with a goal in the 77th minute, getting the assist from fellow freshman Sabrina Jones.

Freshman goalkeeper Phoebe Carver started her eighth game of the season and played the entire 90 minutes. Although she gave up her third goal of the season in the 79th minute, she also tallied two saves.

The Razorbacks’ 27 shots were the most in an SEC game this season, as Arkansas held Ole Miss to just six shots, the seventh time Arkansas has held an opponent to a single-digit shot total this season.

The Hogs will close out the regular season against the Bulldogs (9-3-4, 4-2-2 SEC) Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

No. 9 Arkansas soccer nets late goal in 1-1 tie with LSU, stays atop SEC

Graduate Bea Franklin’s goal with seven minutes left helped the Razorbacks earn a 1-1 tie against LSU.

Just when it looked like the No. 9 Arkansas soccer team might fall victim to LSU in Baton Rouge Thursday night, graduate midfielder Bea Franklin slid in a shot just past the Tiger goalkeeper, with only seven minutes remaining, to secure a 1-1 tie.

Arkansas (10-3-2, 6-1-1 SEC) perfectly executed the dangerous free kick from outside the penalty box. Senior Ava Tankersley took the kick from freshman Avery Wren inside the 18-yard box, then booted a cross shot along the ground to a sliding Franklin, who scored her sixth goal of the season.

With 19 points, the Razorbacks still reside atop the SEC standings, just ahead of No. 17 South Carolina (4-0-4, 10-1-5 SEC).

After a scoreless first half, the Tigers (8-6-1, 3-4-1 SEC) opened the scoring on a header by forward Ava Galligan in the 76th minute.

Although Arkansas dominated possession in the first half, the Hogs didn’t didn’t get a shot off until forward Anna Podojil’s attempt in the 30th minute. But it was met with the first of  LSU goalkeeper Mollee Swift’s three saves in the game.

Freshman Phoebe Carver got the start in goal for the Razorbacks, tallying two saves, before being subbed out for junior Sierra Cota-Yarde, who gave up the goal, but recorded three saves.

The Hogs outshot the Tigers 18-13 and held a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks. Both teams combined for 41 fouls and seven yellow cards.

If the Razorbacks can defeat Ole Miss (6-5-3, 2-3-2 SEC) at home on Sunday, they will clinch at least a share of the SEC regular-season title.

The game against the Rebels kicks off at 2 p.m. and will be streamed on SEC Network Plus. Sunday’s match will also be the annual Pups at the Pitch event, allowing fans an opportunity to bring their dog to the match.

No. 6 Arkansas suffers first SEC loss of season, drops to Auburn

The Razorbacks had won seven straight matches and hadn’t lost in over a month.

Upsets happen.

That may be the mantra for the Arkansas football team during Alabama week, but it’s something the Razorbacks soccer team knows now, too.

The sixth-ranked Hogs fell Sunday to Auburn, 2-1, snapping a seven-game winning streak and marking Arkansas’ first loss in SEC play. Coach Colby Hale’s team hadn’t lost since September 7 at No. 7 Clemson.

The Tigers took their final lead in the 60th minute on a goal by Sydnie Thibodaux. Ava Tankersley had tied things for Arkansas just six minutes earlier with her fourth goal of the season.

Auburn’s went knocked Arkansas from the perch in the SEC West. The Razorbacks have six division points and are 2-1 in the West. Texas A&M leads with nine points and a 3-1 record. Arkansas would own the tiebreaker over the Aggies were the teams to finish with a tie in points, having beaten A&M earlier in the season.

Arkansas’ next match is Thursday in Fayetteville against Florida.

No. 6 Arkansas soccer team wins fifth straight SEC match, defeats Georgia 2-1

The Razorbacks soccer team defeated Georgia, 2-1, on goals from Kiley Dulaney and Ava Tankersley

The No. 6 Arkansas soccer team remained red-hot to start SEC play, winning their fifth straight conference game, and their sixth straight, overall.

The Razorbacks (9-2-1, 5-0-0 SEC) got second-half goals from senior forwards Kiley Dulaney and Ava Tankersley to defeat Georgia 2-1 in front of 2,020 fans at Razorback Field.

The teams battled through a scoreless first half, despite the fact the the Hogs outshot the Dogs, 7-0. Georgia goalkeeper Jordan Brown made two of her game-high three saves before halftime.

Finally, at the 57:02 mark, Dulaney broke the ice with her second goal of the season. She got assists from midfielders Bea Franklin and Emilee Hauser, who sent the ball into the 18-yard box on a free kick. Dulaney missed the initial header but cleaned it up with a powerful shot into the upper right corner of the net.

Just over four minutes later, Tankersley boosted the Razorbacks’ lead to 2-0 with her third goal of the season, getting assists from freshman Bella Field and graduate Anna Podojil, who set up the shot with a header. It was Tankersley’s second game-winning goal in the past two games.

Georgia’s lone goal came at the 72:50 mark, when Brown launched a massive kick from her own goal position, which deflected off Arkansas goalkeeper Phoebe Carver and into the Razorbacks’ goal.

Carver recorded one save in the game to run her personal record to 4-0, coming in four straight starts. Unfortunately, the own goal ended her shutout streak.

Arkansas outshot Georgia 14-7 in the contest, and had nine corner kicks to none for the Bulldogs.

The Razorbacks will travel to Auburn on Sunday to face the Tigers in a Sunday night showdown on the SEC Network at 6 p.m.

Razorback football have you down? Plenty of other Hogs to cheer for

With the football struggling to keep supporters happy, other teams around campus have gotten fans into a frenzy.

Obviously, right now is a tough time to be an Arkansas football fan. A third straight loss on Saturday only ramped up the frustration level among Hog supporters, while adding fuel to the fire for the enemies and detractors.

It’s times like this that fans are looking for any outlet, or better yet, any reason to cheer.

Fortunately, we’re in luck. There are 18 other teams of Razorbacks that compete at the NCAA intercollegiate level each year – 19, if you include the club hockey team.

Whereas, many fans are ready to take a break from the gridiron scene, other Razorback teams are giving fans lots of reasons to Call the Hogs.

Granted, football has become the financial lifeline of athletic departments, nationwide, including at the high school level. But when it comes to the true die-hard fans, any athlete representing the University of Arkansas and wearing that beloved Hog logo is worthy of our support.

Since joining the Southeastern Conference in 1992, Arkansas has yet to win a conference title in football, although the Hogs have played in three SEC Championship games – 1995, 2002 and 2006. The Razorbacks’ last football conference championship came in 1989, as a member of the Southwest Conference, when Quinn Grovey became the only quarterback to ever lead the program to back-to-back titles.

But throughout its rich history, Arkansas has won numerous conference championships in a multitude of sports. The Razorbacks competed for many SWC conference titles, before transitioning to the SEC 30 years ago. Since then, the Razorbacks have done much more than hold their own in the SEC, winning more than 150 conference crowns over the past three decades.

Look no further than two years ago, when the Hogs combined to produce the most bountiful SEC championship haul in school history. Not only did they sweep the titles in men’s and women’s track & field, but they also won the regular season and post-season baseball tournament, along with regular-season titles in softball and soccer. That was also the year that pitcher Kevin Kopps was a unanimous award winner as the nation’s best baseball player.

Arkansas has also hoisted a few trophies on the national stage. Actually, the Razorbacks’ 43 overall team national championships are currently the most by any SEC school. Sure, 20 of those have come from men’s indoor track and field, 10 have been in men’s outdoor track and field, 11 in men’s cross country, along with the 1964 football national championship and 1994 basketball title run. But still, Razorbacks are Razorbacks, and the trophies are all the same size. And that doesn’t include the numerous individual national championships earned by Arkansas athletes.

The basketball program has yet to win a conference title under Eric Musselman, but in the Muss Bus’s three post-seasons since his arrival, Arkansas has been the last SEC team standing in the NCAA Tournament each year. That includes back-to-back trips to the Elite 8 and a Sweet 16 run last season.

But, if you are a die-hard Hog fan and currently ready to throw in the towel for the football season, look no further than the soccer pitch, the volleyball court, the tennis courts, the swimming pool, or the golf course – all places to cheer for some deserving Razorbacks, right now.

The elite women’s soccer team (8-2-1, 4-0-0 SEC) is currently ranked No. 7 in the country and has already churned off four straight wins in SEC play, following Thursday’s 1-0 win over Missouri. The Razorbacks feature graduate forward Anna Podojil, the best player in program history, and arguably the best player in the country. She leads all of Division I with 129 points and is tied for the lead with 48 goals.

Need to get some cheering out of your system? The Razorbacks soccer team will host Georgia on Thursday night at 6 p.m. at Razorback Field, with the game being aired on SEC+.

The soaring Arkansas volleyball team (13-2, 3-0 SEC), ranked 14th nationally, is having one of its finest seasons ever, winning its first three SEC matches, while losing just one set along the way. Since a pair of heart-breaking losses to the nation’s No. 1 team, Wisconsin, early in the season, the Razorbacks have reeled off 11 straight wins. The Hogs defeated No. 24 Auburn in straight sets last week. If you have never witnessed it for yourself, the excitement level at a volleyball match inside the legendary Barnhill Arena, is nearly unmatched by any other sport.

Do you still have a need to Call them Hogs? Well, after a trip to Baton Rouge to face LSU on Thursday, the VolleyHogs will be back in the Barn on Sunday at 3 p.m. to host Missouri. Both matches will also air on SEC+.

Six Razorback tennis players from the men’s team made it to the finals of the PTT 25K tournament in Fayetteville last week, with three winning their final matches. Two from the women’s team also won their final matches. The teams are in Tulsa this week, competing in the ITA All-American Championships.

The Razorbacks swimming and diving team opened the season with a win over Kentucky on Sept. 22, and will next travel to Baton Rouge on Oct. 12.

The Arkansas women’s and men’s golf programs, ranked 3rd and 11th nationally by Golfweek, are currently hosting the Collegiate Invitational at the Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, through Wednesday. Both are vying for team titles, as well as individual championships.

So, as the football team tries to regroup and reinvigorate the Razorback fanbase, feel free to explore other avenues of fandemonium. Let those Hog Calls rip, and turn that frustration into something joyous or positive.

There are plenty of other venues, and Razorbacks, that need – and deserve – your support.

Razorbacks roll over Missouri, stay perfect in SEC play

Arkansas is the No. 7 team in the nation and have played like it so far in 2023.

The No. 7 team in the country has certainly looked like it.

Thursday night from Columbia, the Arkansas soccer team beat Missouri, 1-0, to continue a perfect start in SEC play.

In conference play, the league counts divisional standings first. So because the Tigers are in the SEC East and the Razorbacks in the West, Arkansas’ win didn’t necessarily help build a greater advantage in the table. It was still a quality resume builder, though.

Ava Tankersley scored on penalty kick in the 13th minute for Thursday’s only goal. On the other end, Arkansas goalie Phoebe Carver needed only make two saves against the one-win Tigers.

The win provided Arkansas with a perfect 4-0 start in SEC play for the third time in the last four seasons.

The Razorbacks have the next week off before returning to Fayetteville on Thursday against Georgia.

Arkansas soccer defeats Texas A&M to stay undefeated in SEC play

With Arkansas soccer’s win over Texas A&M on Sunday, head coach Colby Hale reached an impressive career milestone.

[autotag]Arkansas soccer[/autotag] has had the Texas A&M Aggies’ number as of late.

On Sunday, the No. 11 Razorbacks (7-2-1, 3-0-0 SEC) were able to pick up their sixth-straight win over Texas A&M (5-4-2, 1-1-1 SEC) with a 1-0 road victory. The win means that Arkansas is the only undefeated team in SEC play through three games. It also marks the fourth straight win for Arkansas overall.

The lone score in the game came from freshman [autotag]Kennedy Ball[/autotag]. Ball picked an opportune time to score her first collegiate goal, as it ultimately was the difference in the game.

With 16 minutes left in the contest, the Hogs took their 12th corner kick of the game. That allowed them to keep possession until senior [autotag]Kiley Dulaney[/autotag] sent the ball into midfielder [autotag]Bea Franklin[/autotag] inside the six-yard box. Franklin then headed the ball right to Kennedy Ball, who’s shot snuck past the Aggie goalkeeper for the score.

One other notable thing about the win, is that it marked 150th win of Arkansas head coach [autotag]Colby Hale[/autotag]’s career.

Next up for the Razorbacks is a trip to Missouri to face the Tigers on Thursday, September 28th. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and will be streamed on SEC Network+.

No. 11 Razorback soccer team blasts No. 9 Alabama, 5-0

The No. 11 Arkansas soccer team took down No. 9 Alabama, 5-0, at home Thursday night.

The No. 11 Arkansas soccer team extended its unbeaten streak at Razorback Field to 27 games Thursday night, walloping No. 9 Alabama, 5-0, in front of a raucous crowd of 3,660.

The Crimson Tide (6-1-4, 0-1-1) was the highest-ranked team to play in Fayetteville since the Hogs faced No. 5 Texas A&M in 2020.

The Razorbacks (6-2-1, 2-0 SEC) wasted little time in asserting their dominance in the SEC home-opener, scoring three goals in the match’s first 15 minutes.

All-American graduate forward Anna Podojil led the charge once again, as she recorded assists on the first two goals, before scoring the third one herself. It was her program-record 48th career goal, which ranks second among active DI players.

Graduated mid-fielder Bea Franklin scored the opening goal, just three minutes in, as she took a cross pass from Podojil and tipped the ball into the net. Franklin is the team’s second-leading scorer this season with five goals.

Just four minutes later, Podojil found freshman midfielder Avery Wren, who drilled the ball from the top of the 18-yard box into the far post, for her first collegiate goal.

Podojil finally put herself in the scoring column, taking a low cross pass from fellow graduate forward Morgan White, then beating the Alabama defenders for a commanding 3-0 lead.

The Razorbacks have scored 32 total goals this season, with 14 different goal scorers.

“You’ve got to stop Anna, Ava (Tankersley) and Morgan,” Razorbacks Head Coach Colby Hale said. “And after that you still have 11, 12, 13 kids that can score.”

Arkansas’ primary goalkeeper, junior Sierra Cota-Yarde, was excused from Thursday’s match to play for the Portuguese national team. Freshman goalkeeper Phoebe Carver got her first start in goal for the Razorbacks and made the most of her opportunity, tallying five saves against the Crimson Tide.

“She did not look like a freshman,” Hale said. “It’s a big game for it to be her first game. I thought she was fantastic.”

White added a pair of goals to put the game away in the second half, showing off her speed to outrace the last Tide defender, then slipping the ball past Bama goal keeper Coralie Lallier, to make it 4-0 in the 52nd minute. She followed that with the game’s final goal in the 68th minute, cutting in from the far-left side and lobbing the ball just inside the far post.

Arkansas outshot Alabama, 23-15, and scored on half of its shots on target in the first half. The five-goal loss was Alabama’s largest margin of defeat since a 6-0 loss at Florida in 2016.

Hale credited the Razorback faithful for providing a true home-field advantage.

“This crowd is unbelievable,” he said. “They’re loud. They’re obnoxious. I thought they were a huge factor tonight.”

It was the  Razorbacks’ first shutout since blanking Oregon, 4-0, on Aug. 24. Their five goals were the second-most this year, behind only a 6-0 victory over Arkansas State in the season-opener.

Arkansas will look to extend its winning streak to four games when they travel to College Station to face Texas A&M (5-3-2, 1-0-1) Sunday at 6 p.m. It will be aired on the SEC+ network.

Freshman scores with 26 seconds left, lifting Hogs soccer to 3-2 win

Freshman Bella Field scores late to lead Razorback soccer to a 3-2 victory.

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.

Arkansas soccer opens SEC play with 3-1 win over Tennessee

The Razorbacks soccer team opened the SEC with a 3-1 win at Tennessee.

For the first time since 2016, the No. 11 Arkansas soccer team opened SEC play with a road victory. The Lady Razorbacks got a pair of first-half goals from graduate mid-fielder Bea Franklin, then added another late goal from junior forward Sophia Aragon, to defeat Tennessee 3-1 Friday night.

Arkansas (4-2-1, 1-0-0 SEC) junior goalkeeper Sierra Cota-Yarde, along with a stout Razorback defense, shined bright in the second half, fending off 11 shots, two on target, to keep Tennessee (5-2-1, 0-1-0 SEC) scoreless early.

Franklin led the Hogs with four of the team’s 10 shots. Her first goal was scored on the first corner kick of the match, at the 12-minute mark. The kick was taken by freshman defender Avery Wren and headed on target by forward Anna Podojil. The Tennessee goalkeeper then poked the ball back out to a wide-open Franklin, who booted it in from the six-yard box.

After Tennessee tied it at 1-1 in the 30th minute, Franklin quickly put the Hogs back in front a minute and a half later. Senior Kiley Dulaney served the ball in from distance, connecting with Franklin, who put it in with her patented header. Eight of her 10 career goals have been scored with her head.

Arkansas’ defense shut the Vols down in the second half, but the Hogs added an insurance goal in the 72nd minute. The speedy Aragon raced past two Tennessee defenders and finished on the far post to put the game on ice.

The Hogs will host their final non-conference game Sunday against Grand Canyon (6-2-1). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and the match will be streamed on SEC Network Plus.