Emphatic Victory For Razorbacks Over Tigers
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Senior day at Razorback Field couldn’t have gone any better on Sunday, as the Arkansas soccer team beat No. 21 Auburn, 3-1, its sixth victory in its last eight matches. Three different players found the back of the net to help Arkansas finish the regular season undefeated at home for the first time in school history.
Arkansas (11-3-3, 6-2-1 SEC), scored within the first four minutes of the match to take the lead and did not surrender it for the rest of the game. The Tigers tried to mount a comeback early in the second half, coming within one in the 61st minute with their own goal, but the Razorbacks quickly answered two minutes later with their third goal of the match, securing the win.
Sophomore Taylor Malham, junior Marissa Kinsey, and freshman Kolbrun Eyjolfsdottir were Arkansas’ goal scorers on Sunday. Malham and Kinsey’s goals were their third and fourth scores of the year, respectively. Malham is now third on the team with 14 points, which matches her point total from a year ago. Eyjolfsdottir became the 12th different Razorback to score this year as her goal in the 63rd minute secured the Hogs’ victory.
The defense contributed another solid performance holding a conference opponent to one goal or less for the fifth time this year. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Taylor Beitz held her own in the second half, facing a determined Auburn front line trying to equalize. Her five saves all came in the second half, allowing just the one goal from Angeline Daly in the 61st minute.
Sunday marked the last home game for seniors Carly Hoke, Reece Christopherson, Ellie Breden, and Elizabeth Poblete. Hoke played her 14th match of 90 or more minutes this year, while Breden logged five minutes to help cap the 11th win of the season for the Razorbacks.
From Head Coach Colby Hale
“First, that was a big SEC win for us. Auburn is a good team. In the first half, I thought we were tremendous. We let our foot off the pedal a bit in the second half, but closed the game out like we should. Senior Day is always emotional and this senior class was pretty special.”
How It Went Down
4th minute – Within the first four minutes of the match, the Razorbacks looked determined to win the last home match of the year. Junior Stefani Doyle achieved her sixth assist as she took the ball off the end line of the far post and placed a perfect pass into the middle of the box to Malham, who scored her third goal of the year. Doyle now has six assists on the year and 10 points. She joins Kayla McKeon, Tori Cannata and Malham as the only Razorbacks with 10 or more points this year. It’s also Doyle’s third-straight year with 10 or more points.
23rd minute – The fast start was evident just 20 minutes later when Cannata took the ball up the field after poking it away from a defender, starting a breakaway. Auburn’s keeper, Sarah Le Beau, was left in a 2-to-1 matchup with Kinsey flying in from the right. Le Beau had no chance as she made a charge as Kinsey’s chip found the top netting.
61st minute – After being subdued the majority of the match, Auburn started getting in a rhythm after halftime. Bri Folds was able to pressure Arkansas with a counter attack after gaining control of a loose ball in Auburn’s territory. Folds took the ball up the field to the top of the box to lay in a pass to Angeline Daly from 18-yards out to give Auburn their first goal of the match.
63rd minute – Arkansas iced the match in the 63rd minute as Kolbrun Eyjolfsdottir was in the right place off a corner kick from Emily Russell. With a lot of players around the near post, Eyjolfsdottir found an opening and kicked in her first goal of the year.
Up Next
Arkansas will go on the road for its final match of the regular season when it travels to Gainesville, Florida to take on the Florida Gators. First kick is set for 5:30 p.m. CT and will be televised online on SEC Network+.
For more information on Razorback Soccer, follow @RazorbackSoccer on Twitter.
