Big crowd gets big win

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FAYETTEVILLE - The second-best crowd in school history saw one of the biggest wins in program history as Arkansas' soccer team knocked off No. 18 Kentucky 3-2 at Razorback Field on Friday.

The win improves Arkansas to 4-5-0 overall and 1-2-0 in the Southeastern Conference while UK is now 7-2-0 and 2-1-0.

A crowd of 1,575 packed Razorback Field and saw Arkansas' first win over a ranked opponent. Since 1999, Arkansas was 0-30-2 against ranked teams. The only crowd larger than Friday's total was 1,709 for a game against South Carolina in 2001.

"We've been playing well, but not finishing," head coach Colby Hale said. "We feel like we deserve this win. This is our first win against a ranked team and we earned it. The crowd was great, but I'm more excited for the girls. We worked hard and got the result."

The Razorbacks dominated the first half then held on for the victory.

Lindsey Mayo scored twice, Allie Tripp had two assists, Ashleigh Ellenwood scored and Blake Pruitt had an assist.

Ellenwood got the scoring started at 14:33 when she bounced in a 25-yarder from the top right corner of the 18.

Kentucky answered less than a minute later when Courtney Raetzman scored off a pass from Arin Gilliland.

Mayo then scored twice over a 13-minute stretch to put the Razorbacks in control.

Her first score came off a double assist from Tripp and Pruitt at 29:44. She scored again at 41:12 off a corner kick from the far right by Tripp.

The Razorbacks went into the break with an 11-4 advantage in shots and a 3-1 lead on the scoreboard.

Kentucky turned the tables in the second period and had a 16-3 advantage in shots, but the Wildcats didn't close the gap until 76:31 with Kirsten Robinson scored unassisted.

Arkansas possessed the ball and the only other serious threat for the Wildcats came in the 79th minute when a foul gave UK a free kick from 25 yards out. Alyssa Telang got a hard shot through a hole in the Arkansas' wall, but the attempt was wide right.

"We knew we had been playing well," Mayo said. "We had to come out, focus and finish our chances, and we did that. I'm happy about the goals, but I could not have done it without my teammates. It was a team effort. We worked hard in practice and grinded, and we're going to keep it up."

For the game, Kentucky had a 20-14 lead in shots and an 8-5 lead in shots on goal. UK also led 10-5 in corners.

In goal, Kelly Roliard matched her career high with six saves. She had six Sunday at Georgia and has 22 in the last four games.

The Razorbacks are home again on Sunday, playing host to South Carolina at 1 p.m. at Razorback Field.