Box Score LITTLE ROCK – The UALR soccer team played an excellent second half and held a 1-0 lead late against Texas State, but the Bobcats scored twice in the final 12 minutes to steal a 2-1 victory from the Trojans at the Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex on Sunday afternoon.
Despite being outplayed for the first 45 minutes, UALR (9-2, 0-2 Sun Belt Conference) got a first-half strike from Louise Kallin to stun the visiting Bobcats (7-3-1, 2-0). When the teams came out for the second half, the Trojans picked up their play and controlled much of the action.
The Bobcats, though, kept things tight and eventually equalized on a free kick goal by Lynsey Curry with 11:02 left in the contest. With only 2:39 left on the clock, the Bobcats got the benefit of a UALR own goal to earn the victory. The own goal was UALR's second in as many games.
The Trojans got their goal thanks to a perfectly placed long ball off the foot of Kailie Holloway. The senior defender launched a ball from near the midfield line into the back line of Texas State's defense. Kallin played it expertly, letting it bounce over the Bobcats' heads and leaping for the ball on the second bounce. She connected with the outside of her right foot, touching the ball over Texas State's keeper in the 34th minute for the 1-0 lead.
For most of the rest of the first half, UALR was playing defense in its own end. The Trojans only took that one shot on goal in the first 45 minutes, and goalie Bre Ilkuf had to make four saves on Bobcat shots. Texas State also hit the post once and had three corner kicks in the half.
But in the second half, the tables were nearly reversed. UALR took four shots in the frame and held possession in the offensive end of the field for much of the half. UALR also got two corner kicks in the frame and only let the Bobcats take three shots on goal.
Ilkuf ended the afternoon with a career-high seven saves. Alyson Rohane was the only Trojan with multiple shots, taking two in the contest. She rang one of those shots off the crossbar in the 82nd minute that would have given UALR a 2-1 lead.
After playing nine of its first 11 games at home, UALR is now off on a four-game road trip. The Trojans begin the trip on Friday when they face Georgia State in Atlanta at 7 p.m.
