LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – For 110 minutes Friday evening, Texas State kept trying to push forward and get a clean offensive chance. And for 110 minutes, Little Rock's suffocating defense thwarted those efforts, forcing long-range and low percentage shots as the Trojans claimed a point in a 0-0 draw.
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Little Rock (3-5-4, 0-1-2 Sun Belt) registered its second draw in as many matches as the Trojans mounted a valiant defensive effort that thwarted Texas State (4-4-2, 0-1-1).
The frustrations for the visiting Bobcats were evident in Kaylee Davis, the league's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Of her three shots, only one managed to be on target and that was easily grabbed by Trojan goalkeeper Jiulia Curatolo, one of her four saves. Meanwhile Davis, thwarted on her offensive efforts time and again, led all players with five fouls committed.
"I couldn't be happier and that was our best performance of the season so far," Little Rock Head Coach
Mark Foster elatedly said following the match. "I thought we defended fantastically in open play, we defended set plays and we were first to every set play, corners and free kicks. I was so proud of the girls for that. We created some good attacking plays but just weren't able to take one."
Despite Texas State taking 12 shots in the double-overtime match, the Bobcats managed just four on the goal with none of the four being even close to out of the range of Curatolo. For the Bobcats, three of their four shots aimed for the low corners with only one – a shot by Hannah Solano in the 16
th minute, forced Curatolo to dive.
The remainder of Texas State's eight shots were well off-target as the Bobcats were pinched and pressed from the very beginning.
"I think it was a great defensive effort and I don't just mean the goalkeeper and the back four, I think we defended from the front tonight," explained Foster. "Our forwards defended and led the defense, our midfielders were fantastic and then the back four and the keeper obviously were good. I can't highlight one player or one defender tonight, the whole team bought in to the defensive plan and I couldn't be prouder of the effort."
Despite the stalwart performance by the Trojan defense, the closest either team came to scoring was Little Rock in the 109
th minute when
Morgan Smocovich sent towards the top portion of the goal, barely tipped out by Heather Martin. Little Rock never gave up possession after that as Texas State was unable to clear the ball or make any other type of offensive threat.
Little Rock must now turn around to host Louisiana on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 1 p.m. The Ragin' Cajuns fell to 4-4-2 (0-1-1 Sun Belt) after a 1-0 loss at Arkansass State Friday evening.
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