JONESBORO, Ark. – The second conference game of the season for the Little Rock was a heartbreaker at Arkansas State, as the Trojans looked aggressive from start to finish but couldn't equalize after the Red Wolves were able to put one in goal midway through the second half to end up on top, 1-0.
"Today was our best performance of the season," said head coach
Mark Foster. "When we continue to get a few more games under our belt and get match fitness and little bit more experience for this group, I'm really excited to see their potential. It's one of those days where even if we had drawn the game I still would have been down thinking we should have won with some of the chances we created and the efforts we had on goal. Every game we've gotten progressively better, so if we can keep climbing the mountain, I'm excited. This season will be a short one so if we can continue to progress and add a little bit every week I think we can go to the conference tournament in a really confident and good place."
Perhaps the most well-placed attempt came after sophomore
Maddy Peake was able to drive the ball up the left side of the field and force a Trojan corner kick. Smocovich took the corner, sending it straight to classmate
Bergros Asgeirsdottir, who used the momentum to drive the ball toward the goal. The Red Wolves's keeper deflected the ball forward to stop the shot, but Asgeirsdottir sent it up again, giving
Abril Lucio a chance. The junior rebounded but was mere inches off, hitting the top of the crossbar.
The Trojan defense was especially tough throughout the match, not allowing a single shot on goal during the entire first half against an Arkansas State attack that was often willing to shoot regardless of accuracy. The back line did a good job of keeping the Red Wolves from coming too close, as Little Rock goalkeeper
Saskia Wagner didn't need to make a save until nearly midway through the second half. As whole, the team also came together to stop four total corners in the second half.
After a few unsuccessful pushes up the side of the field, with Little Rock's
Natalee Geren stepping up to clear the ball several times for a fantastic showing today, at the 64th minute A-State's Sodoma was able to stop and pass backward to teammate Miller, who broke away to lob a quick shot into the bottom left side of the net. Rather than shying away, the Trojans picked up the pace even more so late in the game, getting physical with the home team as they moved forward to create pressure. Lucio created another opportunity in the final minutes of the game, but again the woodwork did not favor Little Rock, getting in the way of an angled attempt into the left side.
"We played amazing, but the one time we didn't track back and the one time we didn't stop the cross, they were able to have great finish and composure," remarked Foster. "That's one thing this team needs to learn, we have to make every single run, but we're going to take that lesson and not let that stop us from enjoying and being proud of our performance."
Little Rock will be back home to the friendly confines of the Coleman Sports Complex this Sunday, October 4th for a 6:00 p.m. rematch with Central Arkansas. Cheer on the Trojans on Fan Appreciation Night, as attendees will receive soccer stress balls, Little Rock laptop stickers, and the choice to visit the Loblolly food truck that will be on site.
For the latest information on Little Rock Soccer, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockSOC on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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