Borucki's Goal Leads Trojans to Win Over UCA

YouTube: Adrian Blewitt

LITTLE ROCK – Jacqueline Borucki's goal in the 31st minute was the difference maker for the Little Rock soccer team on Wednesday night as it fought to a 1-0 victory over in-state rival Central Arkansas at the Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex.
 
The Trojans (3-2) extended their home non-conference winning streak to nine games with the win over the Bears (2-3), and Little Rock now holds a 6-1 edge over UCA all-time.
 
Sara Small (3-2) got the win in goal, making three total saves and coming out of her net to make plays on balls throughout the second half. The Trojans had to fight hard to keep their lead over the Bears in the second half, something coach Adrian Blewitt thought the team did well.
 
"We were very competitive in the second half," Blewitt said. "We got players in the right positions defensively, and our wing backs did a pretty good job of working hard to get back behind the ball."
 
Little Rock had a couple early threats in the game including shots by Fali Garuba and Hali Long that were saved, but for long stretches of time in the half neither team threatened to score despite Little Rock maintaining the bulk of the possession.
 
But in the 31st minute, the Trojans broke through and got the first goal of the night. Dribbling with the ball on the right side of the field, Caitlyn Eddy tried to make a pass into the box. The slow-moving pass found its way through multiple bodies and wound up on the foot of Borucki. The German freshman did not miss her first chance at a goal in a Little Rock uniform, burying the ball in the lower left corner of the net for the 1-0 Trojan lead.
 
At the end of the first half, Little Rock had a 9-1 edge in shots. By the end of the game, that advantage had ballooned to 19-8. The Trojans took 12 shots on goal overall and seven in the second half.
 
During one dangerous stretch with under 10 minutes to go, Little Rock nearly extended its lead to 2-0. But three consecutive shots by Jaclyn Purvine, Garuba and Claire Palmer were all saved by the Bears. Garuba's shot was cleared off the line by a header from a UCA defender.
 
Despite not being able to tack on an insurance goal, the Trojan defense got maintained its discipline in the late going and kept the Bears from threatening on goal. Small made two of her three saves in the second half and earned her first shutout of the season.
 
Little Rock has four days off before its next contest, a road game against Ole Miss on Sunday at 5 p.m. The game will be aired on the SEC Network+.