Box Score LITTLE ROCK, Ark. ? For the first time in 15 years, the UALR Trojans soccer team (5-4) has a winning record this deep into the season, after defeating Northwestern State (6-3) 2-0. The previous mark was set on Sept. 18, 1992 when the Trojans defeated TCU 2-1. The last time the Trojans also won three straight games occurred in 2004 when the squad closed out the season with wins over Alabama A&M, Arkansas State, and Louisiana Tech.
“We are pretty excited right now,” said head coach Greg Hess. “That's probably the best game we've played all season. Northwestern State has been a team that has been scoring a lot of goals as of late and for us to get the shutout and to win convincingly is pretty excited and very positive. They were a team that has beaten three out of four Sun Belt conference opponents already, too. I thought every girl on the field did a spectacular job, and the girls should be pretty pumped up heading into conference.”
Trojan midfielder Laura Johnson scored early to put pressure on the Lady Demons. She scored in the 7th minute of the game off a rebound from teammate Leanne Mihelich. The score remained 1-0, even after two goals were disallowed on controversial calls. However, in the 84th minute, Trojan forward Alison Davis found Mihelich to put the team ahead 2-0 late in the game.
Throughout the second half, Northwestern State tried to get something going against UALR but the Trojan defense, led by junior Heather Pittman and freshman Courtney Renfro, stymied the Lady Demons.
“We played tight defense today, and I thought all our defenders did a great job of keeping track of their marks,” said Hess. “Heather does a great job of keeping everybody organized, and Jane (Picarelli) is growing up quick and she's doing a great job of instructing the players, too.”
Trojan goalie Jane Picarelli picked up the shutout victory, stopping all six shots that came her way.
The Trojans are back in action Friday Sept. 28 as they open up Sun Belt Conference action against South Alabama at Burns Park. Game time is set for 7 pm. They will follow that up with another home conference match-up against Troy on Sunday Sept. 30 at 1 pm.
