JONESBORO, Ark. – The Little Rock soccer team (5-8-6, 2-4-4 Sun Belt) finished the 2019 season with a 1-0 loss to Arkansas State (9-5-3, 5-2-3 Sun Belt) this afternoon, ultimately being unable to qualify for the Sun Belt Tournament.
Despite the tough conditions on a field that was deemed too rough to play on earlier in the week, forcing a postponed matchup, the Trojans started off strong by holding off the Red Wolves for the entirety of the first half, allowing less attempts as compared to the second. A back-line slip allowed an Arkansas State player to break away and cross into the bottom left side of the net in the 58th minute of the game, however, and Little Rock was unable to equalize.
With a 26-woman team made up of 14 freshmen, seven of which started in matches this season, youth may have been a factor in the way the cards fell for the Trojans. "Unfortunately, we couldn't make some of the chances we had at the other end count," said head coach
Mark Foster. "We came up a bit short today, and that's kind of been how it's been all season – we've had opportunities, but it just hasn't always gone our way."
Little Rock made several attempts to gain control of the match, but was unable to follow through. Junior
Morgan Smocovich led the Trojans with two shots, one of which was on goal, while sophomores
Abril Lucio and
Peyton Laughley also recorded an on-target shot, each saved by the Arkansas State goalie.
Though difficult in the moment, having a young team may develop into a benefit for the seasons to come as the team grows. "We're going to take the lessons we learned from this year along with the positives," added Foster. "We know the team will bounce back. We'll be stronger and better moving forward, and I'm excited about the future."
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