Box Score BOCA RATON, Fla. - The
UALR Trojan soccer team's Cinderella run through the Sun Belt Conference
Tournament came to an end in a hard-fought 1-0 loss to the Denver Pioneer's in
the championship game. For UALR, who entered the tournament as a No. 8 seed, it
was their first appearance in the title game.
Denver got the game's only goal in the
20th minute when Jessie Rogers converted a corner kick from teammate Mariah
Johnston, giving the Pioneers a 1-0 lead.
UALR had their chances as they had 11 shots with four on
goal. Freshman Kamiya Merrick and
sophomore Jacquelyn Paz led the way
with three shots apiece with one coming on goal.
Denver recorded one more shot on the
afternoon than the Trojans, as they finished with 12 shots and five on goal.
Bria Beardsly led the charge attempting five strikes.
Lara Campbell earned the shutout in goal for the Pioneers,
finishing with four saves. Junior goalkeeper Jane Picarelli, who finished the tournament with just one goal against
her in three games, finished with four saves of her own.
Despite the loss, the Trojans were well represented on the
All-Tournament Team. Among the selections were Picarelli, Paz, Merrick and
sophomore forward Christina Veasley.
For the tournament, Picarelli earned two shutouts in goal
and earned 23 saves including a season-best 12 in the opening round victory
over No. 1 seed Florida International on Wednesday. Paz, who played every
minute in the tournament, was instrumental in helping the Trojans surrender just
one goal this week with her defensive efforts.
Offensively, Merrick
scored the game-winning goal in overtime for the Trojans against FIU and
recorded five shots in the three games. Veasley, a First Team All-Sun Belt
selection, finished the tournament with one goal and one assist. Her goal came
in UALR's 1-0 win over North Texas in the semifinals, while her assist set up Merrick's goal in the opening round victory.
With the victory, it marks the fourth-straight tournament
title for the Pioneers in as many years and their 7th since 2001. The Pioneers
season will continue as they received the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Meanwhile, the Trojans finish the season with a 9-12-1
overall record and appear to have a bright future as just four seniors in Heather Pittman, Dana Sahd, Alison Davis
and Erin Dawson will be lost from
this season's tournament runner-up squad.
