New Season Begins Against Duquesne And West Virginia
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Arkansas Soccer will begin its 2018 season on the road tomorrow with an opening match against the Duquesne Dukes in the Penn State Invitational. First kick is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT in State College, Pennsylvania and will be live streamed on GoPSUSports.com.
Two days later the Razorbacks continue the trip and will face ninth-ranked West Virginia to cap off their time in Pennsylvania. That match is slated to begin at 11 a.m. and will also be streamed on GoPSUSports.com. The Mountaineers will be Arkansas’ 12th top-10 opponent it has faced in the last four seasons.
Since reporting on Aug. 1, the Razorbacks have had 12 training sessions, numerous fitness tests and weightlifting sessions, as well as two exhibition matches against outside opponents, Kansas State and Nebraska.
Sophomore Taylor Malham seems to be ready after scoring a goal in each exhibition. Malham is coming off a spectacular freshman season where she scored six goals and tallied up 14 points, finishing third on the team in both categories.
Match One Info
Opponent: Duquesne Dukes
Date: Friday, Aug. 17
First Kick: 4 p.m.
Live Stats: GoPSUSports.com
TV: GoPSUSports.com (FREE)
Match Two Info
Opponent: No. 9 West Virginia Mountaineers
Date: Sunday, Aug. 19
First Kick: 11 a.m.
Live Stats: GoPSUSports.com
TV: GoPSUSports.com (FREE)
Senior Soundbytes
“I think we are in a real good place. This preseason was set up differently from in the past. We played a home game against Kansas State and an away game against Nebraska. I think those two teams are real good in their conference, and we got to see a lot of our own problems early and, now, have a chance to solve it. That gives us a lot of confidence going into this weekend.” – Carly Hoke on the team after two weeks of preseason training
“It’s kind of nice to have your first away road trip like this without school because it gives the underclassmen a chance to get comfortable with what we’re doing and the setup of the weekend. They don’t have to focus on school and soccer. They just have to focus on soccer. So, it will be good to get it out of the way before school starts. – Carly Hoke on getting an early season road trip
“I think it’s an advantage to have it before school starts, but I also think it’s a challenge to have both of our games away, especially against West Virginia. Our home crowd is amazing, so it’s a bit of a challenge to play them away but we’re ready for it.” – Reece Christopherson on the early season road trip
Quick Kicks
>> This weekend’s slate of matches will be the first time Arkansas will face Duquesne and West Virginia in program history.
>> This will be the third-straight year Arkansas will open the season on the road, as the Razorbacks travel to State College, Pennsylvania in the Penn State Invitational.
>> Colby Hale has won five of six season-opening matches in his head coaching career, one being on the road (at James Madison, Aug. 19, 2016).
>> Arkansas is coming off its third season of 10 or more wins since 2012, all under head coach Colby Hale.
>> For the second-consecutive year, Arkansas played in its fourth SEC Tournament final in school history. Before 2016, the Razorbacks had not reached the final in 20 years (1996).
>> The Razorbacks are coming off their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. All tournament appearances have come under current head coach Colby Hale.
>> Arkansas tied a school record with 10 shutouts last year, seven coming on the road, including two in neutral site matches at the SEC Tournament.
>> Returning players Kayla McKeon, Taylor Malham, Stefani Doyle, and Parker Goins provided more than half of the goals scored and 46 percent of the assists from last year.
>> Goins, Malham, and Stefani Doyle led the team in goals (20), assists (15), and points (55) combined.
>> Arkansas is returning more than 85 percent of its scoring from a year ago with 36 percent coming from sophomores Parker Goins, Haley VanFossen, and Taylor Malham.
>> Four Razorbacks made the SEC Preseason Watch List earlier this week, including Stefani Doyle, Parker Goins, Haley VanFossen, and Taylor Malham.
>> In nine of Arkansas’ 10 shutouts last year, the Razorback defense held opponents to 17 shots or less and a .338 shot on goal percentage.
>> Since Colby Hale became the head coach in 2013, Arkansas has only missed the NCAA Tournament one time.
>> Sophomore Parker Goins led the team in goals (9) and points (25) last year. Both were top-five totals among all SEC players.
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