Soccer hosts first SEC match of 2005

FAYETTEVILLE – Coming off a tough weekend, the University of Arkansas Lady Razorback soccer team looks for its first Southeastern Conference win of the season on Friday night when it hosts Mississippi State Univ., at 7:00 p.m. at Lady’Back Field.

The Lady Razorbacks can still taste the bitterness in their mouth from Sunday’s heart-wrenching 2-1 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats in the final 24 seconds of regulation. Scoring late to tie the match, Arkansas had the momentum, but a missed assignment on the defensive end allowed Kentucky to score.

“The team was quite upset about the Kentucky loss,” Arkansas head coach Gordon Henderson said. “After last weekend we need to regroup as a team and come back ready to play. That was only the first two games of our SEC schedule and there is still quite a ways to go.”

Arkansas has always played well against Mississippi State over the years as it owns an 8-2-0 record against the Bulldogs. In five meetings at Lady’Back Field, Arkansas is undefeated against Mississippi State and have scored at least four goals in each of the last four contests.

“Mississippi State is a decent side,” Henderson said. “We are going to have to work very hard to get a result against a young team, especially with the injuries we have.”

The Lady Razorbacks are without the services of three players, while two others are returning from injuries making Arkansas’ bench, a positive before the season started, thin. Regardless of the injuries, Arkansas still has its two leading scorers in Christina Burger and Megan McCool and the pair needs to find the back of the net if Arkansas hopes to record its first SEC win of the 2005 season.

Mississippi State also comes into Friday night’s match limping after a pair of losses to Tennessee and Georgia on the road. The Bulldogs are just 1-5-3 on the year and were outscored 6-1 in their two matches. For Mississippi State to walk away from Fayetteville with a win, goalkeeper Emily Meyers and Betty Ann Casey must get hot and produce.

For more information about Lady Razorback soccer or about Arkansas women’s athletics, please go to www.ladybacks.com.