From the Desk of Coach Henderson

In the spirit of this election year, I offer you; Arkansas Soccer – State of the Union……As our 2008 season has just come a close, I thought I’d spend a few minutes to reflect the status of our soccer program.We finished the year at 11-8-0 and 9th in the SEC. Our conference remains one of the top conferences in the nation with tremendous parity. To illustrate that point, we were only one win away from going to the SEC tournament and our SEC final was between the number four and number six seed! We sent six teams to the NCAA tournament which was the second highest of any conference (ACC sent a record 8 teams). As a coach, you are always disappointed when some goals are not reached, however stepping back and looking at the big picture, I have found a great deal I am happy with in the context of program growth over the last three years;

Last 3 Years Previous 10 Years (1995 – 2005)
SEC All Conference 6 players 7 players in the previous 10 years
Soccer Buzz All Region 2 players 2 players in previous 10 years
SEC Athlete of the Week 1 player 2 players in previous 10 years
SEC Off. Player of the Week 2 players 1 player in previous 10 years
SEC Def. Player of the Week 2 players never in the history of the program

• Two of the highest win totals in program history have occurred in two out of the past three years;

2006 – 10 wins 3rd highest in 22 years
2008 – 11 wins Tied for highest win total in program history

• 2008 – 4 conference wins ties the highest win total in program history• 2008 – First win against Kentucky since 1994• 2008 – First win against Ole Miss since 1996• 2008 – First players named SEC Offensive Player of the Week (two)• 2008 – Lindsay Patterson – SEC All Conference • 2007 – First result against a nationally ranked top 10 opponent in the history of the program (1-1 tie w/ #6 Tennessee)For those of you who know me, you will understand how important the academic component is to our program. Our women take great pride in their academic endeavors and truly epitomize the word student athletes.

NSCAA Team Academic Award Every year!
2008 Team GPA TBD
2007 Team GPA (3.50) 7th Highest in the nation 1st in the SEC
2006 Team GPA (3.39) 13th highest in the nation 1st in the SEC
Last 3 Years Previous 10 Years (1995 – 2005)
SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year 1 Player never in the history of the program
Academic All American 2 Players 1 player in past 10 years

In addition, like all of our student athletes, our women are heavily involved in our local community providing wonderful role models for our youth.• Sweat Hogs• Soccer Clinics at National Women in Sports day• Read Across America program• Easter Egg Hunt with Special Needs children• Round table mentorship program with ‘At Risk’ teenagers• Soccer Clinics with local clubs and academiesI am incredibly proud of our team, especially our academic successes….they have come a long way in 3 years; hopefully you are too. We genuinely appreciate your support at our games and in the community.Go Hogs!