Soccer Welcomes Murray State, Goes to Oklahoma

GM 03  >> Little Rock vs. Murray State
Friday, Aug. 28 • 7 p.m. (CST)
Little Rock, Ark. • Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex
Live Stats | Live Video | Game Notes
 
GM 04  >> Little Rock at Oklahoma
Sunday, Aug. 23 • 1 p.m. (CST)
Norman, Okla. • OU Soccer Complex
Live Stats | Live Video | Game Notes
 
LITTLE ROCK – Following a split weekend in Tennessee, the Trojan soccer team will be spending time at home and on the road this weekend. Little Rock first opens its eight-game home slate by facing Murray State at the Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex on Friday night before heading to Norman, Okla., to face the Sooners on Sunday afternoon.
 
LEADING OFF

• The Trojans had a solid start to their season over the weekend, defeated Tennessee Tech 2-1 on Friday before dropping a 1-0 game at Belmont on Sunday.
• Little Rock got an 89th-minute game-winning goal from Jaclyn Purvine against Golden Eagles, a goal that came just eight minutes after Tennessee Tech tied the contest. Quin Wilkes also scored off a corner kick for Little Rock.
• On Sunday at Belmont, the Trojans dominated possession and chances but were unable to put a shot away. New goalkeeper Sara Small made five saves in the loss.
• Little Rock returns just seven players from the 2014 roster but brings in 20 newcomers in 2015 from all over the United States and Europe.
• Last season saw Little Rock win its first nine games of the season and go undefeated at home in non-conference play.
• Head coach Adrian Blewitt has improved the team from 2-14 the year before he took over to 11-8-1 last season.

 
#CROWDCOLEMAN
Friday night's home opener, billed as #CrowdColeman, will feature giveaways for Little Rock students, double points on the Maroon Mob app and T-shirt tosses when the Trojans score goals.
 
FOLLOW THE TROJANS
Fans can monitor all the action by following @LittleRockSoc on Twitter.
 
ABOUT MURRAY STATE

• The Racers, who hail from Murray, Ky., are 1-0 at this very early point in the season, winning their only game of the year against Mississippi State on Sunday. Murray State defeated the Bulldogs by a 2-1 score.
• Last year, Murray State was 11-9 on the season, reaching the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament but losing in the first round to Morehead State by a 5-1 score. The Racers were picked to finish fifth in the conference this season by the league's coaches.
• In 2014, the Racers were led on offense by Julie Mooney's 13 goals and three assists for 29 points. However, Mooney is no longer with the team in 2015. Two of Murray State's double-digit point scorers in 2014 – Harriet Withers and Taylor Stevens – are back with the team this year. Starting goalie Shelby Haworth also returns.
• Jeremy Groves is now in his second season with the Racers. This is his first head coaching job, and he took the team to an 11-9 mark last year.

 
THE SERIES AGAINST MURRAY STATE
The Trojans lead the all-time series with the Racers 3-1-1, though Murray State claimed the contest when the teams last met in 2013. Little Rock's last win in the series came in 2009 on home field, the only time the teams have ever met in Arkansas.
 
A WIN AGAINST MURRAY STATE WOULD...
…be the team's eight consecutive non-conference victory at home…be Little Rock's third consecutive victory in a home opener...improve the Trojans to 4-1-1 all-time against Murray State.
 
ABOUT OKLAHOMA

• The Sooners, based in Norman, Okla., are off to a tough start this year, dropping both of their opening-weekend matches by 2-1 scores in overtime. Furman defeated Oklahoma in Greenville, S.C., on Friday before No. 11 South Carolina handed the Sooners another loss on Sunday.
• Last year, Oklahoma reached the NCAA Tournament, losing to Arkansas in overtime in the first round. The Sooners ended the season 10-9-4. This year, they were picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 Conference.
• The 2014 Oklahoma team was led on offense by Devin Barrett's five goals and 11 points. No other player on the roster had double-digit points. Barrett is back for the team this year.
• In net, Kaitlyn Fahrner made appearances in 21 of 22 games, finishing with a 0.90 goals against average as a freshman. She returns as a sophomore.
• Matt Potter is the Sooners' head coach for the fourth season. He has a record of 110-101-35 as a Division I head coach.

 
THE SERIES AGAINST OKLAHOMA
The Trojans and Sooners have never met.
 
LITTLE ROCK VS. THE OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE
The Trojans have squared off against current Ohio Valley Conference members 36 times in their history, and Little Rock holds a 12-23-2 record in those games. The record is bolstered by a 3-1-1 mark against Murray State and a 3-0 all-time mark against Tennessee Tech. The Trojans have played all of the 11 current teams in the OVC except Eastern Kentucky.
 
LITTLE ROCK VS. THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE
The Trojans have historically limited success against the Big 12, going 7-21 all-time against current members of the conference. Most of the team's success comes against Texas A&M, who has been beaten by Little Rock four times. The Trojans have never played Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma or West Virginia. The team will play Texas later in the season.
 
PURVINE STRIKES IT BIG
Playing in her first ever college game, freshman Jaclyn Purvine made quite the impact. With the score tied 1-1 at Tennessee Tech on Friday night and just over a minute showing on the clock, Purvine got in behind the Golden Eagles' defense and was all alone for a header from Fali Garuba. Purvine didn't miss the wide-open strike, boosting the Trojans to their 2-1 season-opening victory. Purvine has three shots on the season for Little Rock.
 
SMALL LOOMS BIG IN NET
Junior transfer Sara Small got right into the action on Friday and Sunday, starting and playing in all 180 minutes of Trojan soccer over the weekend. On Friday at Tennessee Tech, she made one save and faced just two shots. She was called upon much more Sunday at Belmont, making five saves and keeping her goals against average at a slim 1.00. Small has already surpassed her entire career minutes total from Wake Forest.
 
NON-CONFERENCE HOME WINNING STREAK
The Trojans have excelled at home in non-conference games lately, winning all seven non-conference games at the Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex in 2014. A victory on Friday would extend that streak to eight.
 
DOUBLE SHOT
Through just two games, the Trojans are overwhelming their opponents in the shots and shots on goal categories, doubling up the opposition in both. Little Rock has taken 38 total shots while allowing just 17 from opponents, and the Trojans' 17 shots on goal are one more than double the opponents' eight shots on goal this year.
 
PLENTY OF NEW FACES
The Trojans are almost entirely a new-look team for 2015, as just seven players are returning from the 2014 roster. Goaltenders Sara Cavanagh and Shara Robbins, defender Hali Long, midfielders Kayla Turner and Mikayla Uyokpeyi; and forwards Fali Garuba and Quin Wilkes are the only players back from last year. Joining them will be 20 new faces ranging from freshmen to juniors at every position. Of those 20 players, four come from overseas while 16 are from the United States.
 
NEW ALL-AMERICANS
The most decorated of Little Rock's new players may be freshman Caitlyn Eddy. Coming from Francis Howell Central High School in St. Charles, Mo., Eddy was named a High School All-American by the NSCAA in July. Only 26 girls' soccer players across the country earned the honor during the winter season. Much like Eddy, incoming junior Shannon Shields was also an All-American at her last school. While playing for Pima Community College, Shields was named an NJCAA and NSCAA All-American for her 21-goal, eight-assist sophomore season.
 
BEST SEASON EVER
The Little Rock soccer team made history last year, reaching 11 victories on the season. The previous program record of 10 victories was set in 2007. The 2014 campaign was also the team's first-ever winning season, as that 2007 team went 10-10-2 to finish with a .500 winning percentage.
 
BEST START EVER
After never having started a season better than 4-0-0 in school history, the Trojans more than doubled the school's previous record in 2014. Little Rock started 9-0-0 on the season, by far the best opening to a year in school history. In fact, the Little Rock soccer team had the best beginning to a season of any team in any sport in Trojan history. No other sport at Little Rock has started a year with nine consecutive wins.
 
GOALS RECORD BROKEN
With all the other records that fell by the wayside last year, Little Rock waited until the last game of the regular season to break one more. With Fali Garuba's strike against South Alabama, the Trojans scored their 46th goal of the season. That tally tied the school record of 46 goals in a year, set previously in 1990 and 1991. Another goal against the Jaguars in the Sun Belt Tournament broke the record and set a new one at 47.
 
GOALS AGAINST BELOW AVERAGE
The Little Rock soccer set one more school record in 2014, posting a goals against average of 1.14. The team's previous low goals against average was 1.31 back in 1997. Sara Cavanagh had a 0.91 goals against average, the best in school history by nearly half a goal.
 
SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
Freshman Fali Garuba got some well-deserved recognition at the end of the 2014 season when the Sun Belt Conference named her to its postseason Second Team. Garuba finished the season leading the Trojans with nine goals and 23 points, both fourth overall in the Sun Belt. Garuba is the first Trojan player to score nine goals in a year since Christina Veasley in 2009.
 
POINTS APLENTY
Little Rock recorded 138 points last season on 47 goals and 44 assists. In the last 15 years since the team has records of points scored, that total is by far the highest. The previous school record for points in a year was 107, set in 2003. The Trojans' 44 assists was also better than it has seen in the last 15 years of recorded assists. The previous best in assists was 29 in 2003.
 
CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
Last weekend:

• Kayla Turner played in her 30th game.
• Quin Wilkes reached 1,000 career minutes.
• Fali Garuba took her 25th shot on goal.

Coming soon:

• Fali Garuba needs one more goal to reach 10 in her career, one more point for 25 and three more shots for 50.
• Mikayla Uyokpeyi's next assist will give her 10 total.

 
UP NEXT
Following this weekend's action, Little Rock hosts a midweek game against in-state rival Central Arkansas on Wednesday night at the Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex. Admission is free for all fans.