LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock struck first against Arkansas State off a goal from Karina De Paoli, but a quick equalizer by the Red Wolves and two second half goals handed the Trojans a 3-1 loss Sunday evening at the Coleman Sports Complex. Little Rock falls to 6-5-3 on the year and 2-2-2 in Sun Belt play.
 
"We played some good soccer tonight," said head coach Mark Foster. "We scored a great goal and created some really great opportunities, and I thought we not only matched (Arkansas State) but at times outworked them. But what cost us the game tonight was our inexperience. There were just a couple key moments where we made mistakes, and an experienced team like Arkansas State will take advantage of those. We'll learn from that, and take encouragement into the final couple weeks of conference play."
 
The Trojans were the aggressor early on, outshooting the Red Wolves 14-5 in the opening 45 minutes. Little Rock got on the scoreboard first in the 20th minute as Abril Lucio fired a shot on goal, which was deflected out to Karina De Paoli on the left side of the net, who tapped it in for her first career goal.
 
But the lead was short-lived as Arkansas State answered less than 30 seconds later, taking the draw from the ensuing kick-off and marching down the field, connecting on a shot that beat goalkeeper Paige Henry in the upper corner of the net to even the game at 1-1.
 
Henry made three key saves early in the second half as the Red Wolves upped their intensity, leading to an opportunity for Natalee Geren off a free kick in the 67th minute that deflected off the crossbar.
 
Arkansas State would take the ensuing rebound and race up the field, connecting on a pass in the box that found the lower left hand corner to give the Red Wolves the 2-1 lead. Arkansas State would then score a little over two minutes later, extending the lead to 3-1 and preserving the win.
 
After holding a 14-5 edge in shots after 45 minutes, Little Rock held a 20-17 advantage for the game, but Arkansas State put more shots on net, putting eight shots on goal to Little Rock's five. Jana Heinen and Mariella Stephens each finished with four shots on the night, including a pair on net for Heinen, with Geren and Lucio adding three shots each.
 
Despite the loss, Foster was positive following the match, seeing some bright spots for the Trojans as Little Rock hits the home stretch of the conference schedule.
 
"Playing against a team like A-State, who has been in the (tournament) finals the last of years, you need to have a little something extra, and we didn't have that tonight," Foster said. "We'll learn from it and grow, and I like the way our season is shaping up. We went the first four games unbeaten, and once we get over the sting of the loss tonight and look back on the positives, I believe we'll be in a good shape over the last four games heading into the conference tournament."
 
Little Rock's final push for the Sun Belt tournament begins Thursday when it makes the trip to Lafayette to take on Louisiana. Opening draw against the Ragin' Cajuns is set for 7 p.m.
 
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