Box Score MEMPHIS, Tenn. ? The 2007 edition of UALR soccer (0-1) opened up on the wrong foot for the Trojans as they fell to Memphis (1-0) Friday night by a 7-1 score. The Trojans stayed with the Tigers for the first half, but a five goal outburst in the second half doomed the team.
Playing short-handed due to injuries, the squad was able to hold Memphis to three goals in the first 74 minutes of play, but the final 16 minutes saw the Tigers finally able to pull away from UALR.
“The team did as well as we could expect with us missing several players, three of those being injured,” said UALR head coach Greg Hess. “We still held our own, but we just ran out of gas in those last minutes of the game. We have learned a lot from this game, and this game will make us a better team in the long run.”
The Tigers' Vendula Strnadova led all scorers with two goals, scoring one in each half. UALR sophomore Alison Davis tallied the only goal for UALR, coming in the 37th minute of the first half. Freshman Leanne Mihelich took the only other shot the Trojans could muster against Memphis.
Seven freshmen made their first collegiate starts Friday night, including goalkeeper Jane Picarelli. Picarelli made seven saves against the Tigers and Hess was pleased with her effort.
“She (Jane) did awesome. At the end of the game, you could tell Jane was worn out too, but she made some great saves to keep us in the game. I'm proud of her and all the freshmen.”
UALR returns to action on Sunday Sept. 2 for their home-opener at Burns Park against Centenary. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
“We were missing a lot of players today, so Sunday's game will be more indicative of the type of team we will be for the rest of the season,” said Hess.
