Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
UALR, Arkansas set to meet in tourney opener
FAYETTEVILLE — It may not be at Reynolds Razorback Stadium, but fans wanting to see the University of Arkansas battle an in-state foe can do so a few yards away.
For the fifth time in six years, the Arkansas women’s soccer team has earned a berth as one of 64 teams selected to play in the 2018 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Tournament. The Razorbacks’ first-round draw is Sun Belt Conference champion Arkansas-Little Rock.
In a rare showdown between in-state opponents in any sport, the Razorbacks and Trojans, who have identical 13-4-4 records, will face off at 7 p.m. at Razorback field. The match will be streamed on SEC Network-plus, via the Watch ESPN app and WatchESPN. com.
“What an exciting matchup,” Arkansas soccer coach
Colby Hale said. “The NCAA Tournament will always generate interest, but when you’re playing someone that you don’t normally have an opportunity to play, it makes it that much more special. This is about a state that loves its college athletics, and I think this is going to be a big event.”
Arkansas, one of nine SEC teams selected for this year’s tournament, is coming off a strong run through the SEC Tournament. After victories over Ole Miss and Florida to make their third straight SEC Championship match, the Razorbacks again fell short in a loss to LSU, a match decided on penalty kicks.
The Trojans swept Arkansas State, Georgia State and Texas State to claim the Sun Belt Tournament title.
The only time Arkansas has played in-state opponents has been in the postseason. This will mark the first time the Razorbacks and Trojans have met in soccer, but Arkansas did defeat Little Rock in the 1997 NCAA Volleyball Tournament, in straight sets, 15-11, 15-3, 15-3. Arkansas also defeated Arkansas State 67-64 in overtime during the 1987 Men’s NIT Basketball Tournament in Fayetteville. The only time the Razorbacks have fallen to an in-state foe was a 98-84 defeat at the hands of Arkansas State in the 2005 Women’s NIT in Jonesboro.
The Arkansas baseball team is scheduled to host Little Rock and Pine Bluff this upcoming season.
“This is definitely something to look forward to as far as the travel and for the interest of the fans,” Little Rock coach Mark Foster said. “Everyone around here is excited. It’s really fantastic for both schools.”
This will be Little Rock’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and the fifth all-time appearance for Arkansas — all under Hale. The Razorbacks are 4-2-2 in NCAA Tournament matches, advancing to the second
round four out of the five times. Combined with SEC Tournament matches, Arkansas is 11-6-5 in the postseason under Hale.
This is the second time the Razorbacks have hosted an NCAA Tournament match, following a 2-1 overtime victory over Memphis in 2016.
Opening the tournament at home may prove to be a huge advantage for Arkansas, who is unbeaten at Razorback Field this season with a 9-0-1 mark. The lone blemish came in a 1-1 double-overtime tie with Providence.
“Getting a chance to host is big for a lot of reasons,” Hale said. “Not having to travel will be big from a competitive standpoint. We know how big our fans are and how big of
a home field advantage this is. I can’t imagine anyone was hoping for the ‘at Arkansas’ draw.”
The Razorbacks have outscored their opposition 38-23 this season with juniors Kayla McKeon and Tori Cannata leading the way with eight goals each – five of McKeon’s have been match-winners. Sophomore Taylor Malham has scored five times and leads the team with 30 shots on goal.
Senior Carly Hoke and sophomore Haley VanFossen – each garnering SEC Player of the Week honors this season — lead a Razorback defensive attack that has held opponents to just 1.1 goals per match and produced eight shutouts.
Little Rock has outscored its opponents 40-15 this season, with senior Jaclyn Purvine scoring 12 of those, including six match-winners. Fellow senior Arola Aparicio Gili has added seven goals.
The winner of tonight’s match will advance to the Round of 32 to face the winner of the Texas vs. Virginia Tech match at a site still to be determined.