Trojans Set for In-State Battle With UCA

GM 05  >> Little Rock vs. Central Arkansas
Wednesday, Sept. 2 • 7 p.m. (CST)
Little Rock, Ark. • Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex
Live Stats | Live Video | Game Notes
 
LITTLE ROCK – The Trojan soccer team and Central Arkansas will renew their rivalry on Wednesday night as the Bears come to the Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex for a 7 p.m. kickoff. Both teams enter the night with a 2-2 record and will be playing for local bragging rights.
 
LEADING OFF

• Little Rock comes into Wednesday's contest three days after falling 4-0 on the road at Big 12 Conference foe Oklahoma. The Trojans defended well against the Sooners but critical errors cost the team the game.
• Two days early, the Trojans defeated Murray State in front of a rowdy home crowd on Friday night, knocking off the Racers 2-1. Shannon Shields had the game-winning goal in the 54th minute to boost Little Rock to victory.
• The individual highlight of the Murray State game undoubtedly came from freshman Caitlyn Eddy, whose fifth-minute goal came directly on a corner kick. Eddy curved the ball into the top right corner of the post to give Little Rock a 1-0 lead.
• With Friday's victory, Little Rock won its third consecutive home opener and its eighth straight home game against non-conference competition.
• 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.

 
#CROWDCOLEMAN
Wednesday's contest will be the second #CrowdColeman event of the year. The night will feature giveaways for Little Rock students, 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 CENTRAL ARKANSAS

• The Bears, based in nearby Conway, are 2-2 on the season after winning both of their home games last weekend. UCA knocked off Arkansas State by a 3-2 score on Friday before besting ULM 1-0 on Sunday.
• UCA began the season by suffering two losses in a road trip to Utah. Their season opener against Utah State ended in a 1-0 defeat while a game at Utah Valley went down as a 2-0 loss.
• The Bears were picked 10th and 11th in the Southland Conference's two preseason polls out of 12 total teams.
• UCA's offense right now is being led by Chele Naudin and her two goals. Only two other players – Shelby Wilson and Ashley Smith – have scored a goal for the Bears. In goal, Anna Hughes has played every minute of this season and holds a 1.21 goals against average.
• Jeremy Bishop is the Bears' head coach as he has been since 2012. In his four years with the team, he has posted a record of 26-31-5.

 
THE SERIES AGAINST CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Little Rock and UCA have played each other six times over the course of the last 16 years, and the Trojans have a distinct advantage in the series. Little Rock won the first five contests in the series and now holds a 5-1 record against UCA. The Bears' lone win came in the most recent game, a 4-1 victory over the Trojans in 2012.
 
A WIN AGAINST CENTRAL ARKANSAS WOULD…
…extend the Trojans' home winning streak to two games…extend the team's home non-conference winning streak to nine games…improve the team to 6-1 all-time against UCA.
 
LITTLE ROCK VS. THE SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
UALR has a 19-17-3 record lifetime against teams that are currently in the Southland Conference. Though the Trojans have not played six of the Southland's teams, UALR boasts a 5-1 record against Central Arkansas and a 4-2 mark against McNeese State.
 
PUT EDDY IN THE CORNER
Freshman Caitlyn Eddy certainly impressed the home crowd on Friday night, scoring a goal directly off a corner kick to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute. Her shot hooked inward from the left corner, sailing over the arms of Murray State's goalie and going directly in the net without being touched by a teammate.
 
SHIELDS ON THE ATTACK
Junior college All-American Shannon Shields showed her offensive skill on Friday night, scoring the game-winning goal against Murray State on a half-volley from Hali Long. Her shot from the left side of the penalty area breezed past the Murray State keeper, giving the Trojans the 2-1 victory.
 
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 and extending that streak to eight with a win against Murray State on Friday. A victory over the Bears would improve that number to nine.
 
NO HELP
Through four games, Little Rock has held its opponents to only one total assist this year. Despite opponents scoring a total of seven goals, only one of those goals was assisted. For comparison, Little Rock's four goals have seen a total of five assists.
 
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 Aug. 21 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 five shots on the season for Little Rock.
 
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
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.
• Sara Cavanagh is two saves away from 60.

 
UP NEXT
The Trojans have the rest of the week off now to prepare for a Sunday contest at Ole Miss. The Trojans and Rebels will kick off at 5 p.m. in a game televised by the SEC Network online.