Box Score LITTLE ROCK, Ark. ? The UALR women's soccer team (4-7, 2-2 Sun Belt) evened its conference record on Sunday afternoon by knocking off Louisiana-Monroe, 3-0. Freshman Alison Davis put the Trojans ahead for good by scoring her third goal of the season in the 35th minute.
UALR limited the Warhawks (4-8-1, 0-4) to just eight shots in the game, and only three on goal ? all of which were saved by freshman Jamie Laughlin, who recorded a shutout in her first collegiate start. The Trojans led 1-0 at the break and added a pair of insurance goals in the second half, both of which came on assists from freshman Grace Rich.
“It was a good win for us today. It is definitely nice to come out of the weekend with a split. I felt we had a chance to come out of the weekend with two wins, but being .500 at this point is a lot better than what we've been able to do in the past,” said UALR head coach Greg Hess. “I felt like we completely dominated the first half, and did a great job of preventing them from getting into our end of the field.”
With the game tied at 0-0, the Trojans broke into the scoring column when Davis got a shot off in front of the goal, which ULM keeper Christine Ellis got her hands on. Ellis was unable to hold onto the ball, though, and Davis managed to punch it in to put UALR ahead 1-0 with 34:47 on the clock.
Leading 1-0 in the second half, Rich crossed a ball to the front of the net, which sophomore Jessica Beaver went up top for and headed into the back of the net just 1:32 into the second half. The goal was Beaver's team-leading fifth of the season.
Freshman Hannah Gibson made it a 3-0 contest when she scored off a corner kick by Rich in the 80th minute. The assist brought Rich's team-leading total to five, and marked Gibson's second goal in as many games.
“It was good to see the offense generate some goals today. I'm really proud of Hannah, who's started the last two games and scored in each of them. I'm also glad to see the defense and midfield continue their solid play,” said Hess. “If we keep playing like this, I don't see why we can't qualify for the Sun Belt Tournament, which was one of our goals at the start of the season.”
The Trojans enjoyed a 21-8 edge in shots, and held the Warhawks without a shot on goal in the first half. Laughlin recorded three saves, all in the second half, while Ellis totaled eight saves for ULM.
UALR returns to action next weekend when it welcomes Middle Tennessee (Oct. 6) and Western Kentucky (Oct. 8) to Burns Park. The Trojans will face the Blue Raiders at 7 p.m.
