Trojans Close Home Schedule With Tie vs. Louisiana

LITTLE ROCK – Despite four shots on goal in the second overtime period, the Little Rock soccer team was unable to pull out a victory against Louisiana at the Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex.
 
Caitlyn Eddy's third-minute goal gave the Trojans an early lead, but the Cajuns tied the contest in the 60th minute as the teams settled for a 1-1 tie.
 
The Trojans (7-5-4, 2-1-3 Sun Belt Conference) have now tied three conference games and have gone to overtime four times since league play began. The Cajuns (8-6-2, 2-3-1) earned their first time of conference action.
 
The Trojans got off to a very fast start, with Eddy's goal coming 2:42 into the contest. Shannon Shields started the play by taking the ball down the left wing and into a dangerous spot. She cut the ball back across the middle of the field, and Eddy was there awaiting the pass. She fired her shot low and to the right, and Cossette Morche dove to slow to make the save.
 
The goal was Eddy's third of the year, and Shields' assist was her third as well.
 
For the rest of the half, Little Rock had several chances on goal while limiting the Cajuns' opportunities. At the break, the Trojans held a 10-3 edge in total shots, and Small only had to make two saves to keep Louisiana off the scoreboard.
 
The second half was played much more evenly, and Louisiana evened the score in the 60th minute. Taylor Kennedy played a long pass in the air from the midfield line to teammate Ashleigh Cade. Cade ran to the ball in stride, entered the penalty area and beat Trojan keeper Sara Small with the shot.
 
The Cajuns' goal broke a three-game shutout streak for Small and was the first goal she allowed in 375 minutes dating back to Sept. 27.
 
The second half save both teams take seven shots, and the Cajuns had three opportunities on the corner kick. But after Cade's strike, neither team could put another in the back of the net, and Little Rock was set for its sixth overtime game of the year.
 
Like four of the five before Sunday, this game was destined for a tie. Louisiana outshot the Trojans 3-2 in the first overtime before Little Rock took over in the second.
 
In the game's final 10 minutes, the team had seven total shots and four on goal, but Morche was equal to each of those shots.
 
Fali Garuba had a great breakaway opportunity on a Shields throw-in, but her shot did not have much behind it and Morche made a relatively easy save. In the 101st minute, Mikayla Uyokpeyi took a corner kick that resulted in a good luck for Quin Wilkes, but the sophomore's shot went wide. Morche also made saves on Bailey Fithian and Wilkes later in the overtime.
 
Six different Trojans played the entire 110 minutes: Small, Uyokpeyi, Wilkes, Fithian, Claire Palmer and Hali Long.
 
The Trojans finish the regular season with three consecutive games on the road, starting with a trip to Jonesboro on Friday for a date with Arkansas State. The Red Wolves and Trojans are set for a 3 p.m. kickoff.