Box Score MONROE, La. – The UALR soccer team ended its four-game road trip on a strong note, defeating ULM 2-0 on Sunday afternoon and moving into stronger position in the Sun Belt Conference standings.
UALR (10-4-1, 1-4-1 Sun Belt) tied the school record for victories in a season with the win over the Warhawks (7-8-1, 1-5) and also got its first conference win of the season. UALR also leapfrogged ULM and Arkansas State in the conference standings and now finds itself occupying the final spot to make the Sun Belt Tournament.
The victory also clinched UALR's first winning season in program history.
The Trojans got their goals off the feet of Louise Kallin and Lexus VanPelt in the first half and second half, respectively. Fali Garuba got assists on both goals. In net, Bre Ilkuf got her third full-game shutout of the season and tied her career high with seven saves.
Kallin got her eighth goal of the year in the very early going. On an initial shot by Garuba, Kallin collected the rebound and put the ball in the back of the net. Kallin and Garuba are tied for the team lead with eight goals, and Garuba leads all Trojans with 21 points on the season.
VanPelt's goal sealed the game for the Trojans. In the 75th minute, VanPelt put the ball past the ULM keeper off a deflection, and Garuba got a touch just before VanPelt got to the ball. The goal, her sixth of the year, gave UALR its first two-goal lead in conference play.
The Trojan defense was stout throughout. Lauren Brownrigg, Amanda Wilkinson, Linnea Kogsta, Hali Long and Kailie Holloway played all 90 minutes, and Ilkuf made all seven saves asked of her when the defense was breached. ULM actually outshot UALR 14-12 and had nine corner kicks to UALR's five. But none of it got through, and the Trojans held on for their program-record eighth shutout of the season.
UALR has now won two consecutive games against ULM. The Trojans defeated the Warhawks 1-0 in Monroe last year, and that win wound up deciding which team made the Sun Belt Tournament.
Next up for the Trojans is their big rivalry game against Arkansas State. UALR and the Red Wolves will face each other on Saturday at the Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex at 7 p.m.
