Little Rock Heads To Foley For 2021 Sun Belt Tournament

GAME 19 - LOUISIANA Sun Belt Tournament First Round
Date/Time	Monday, Nov. 1 - 4 p.m.
Location	Foley, Ala.
Stadium	Foley Sports and Tourism Complex
Records	Little Rock (7-7-4, 3-4-3 SBC) Louisiana (6-10-2, 3-5-2 SBC)
Watch	ESPN+
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Twitter	@LittleRockSOC
History	Little Rock vs. Louisiana
Tournament Central	2021 Sun Belt Tournament

Opening Draw
Little Rock heads to Foley, Alabama, to compete in the 2021 Sun Belt Championship this week. The Trojans earned the number seven seed and will face 10th-seeded Louisiana Monday at 4 p.m. in the second game of the opening round.
 
Tournament Time
Little Rock returns to Foley looking to build on past successes at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex. Since the conference tournament started being held there, Little Rock is 3-2-4, including three wins by way of a shootout. The Trojans have won at least one match in each trip to southern Alabama, highlighted by the 2018 run which saw Little Rock claim its first Sun Belt Championship in program history with the shootout win over Texas State. Overall in program history, Little Rock is 5-11-5 all-time in Sun Belt tournament games.
 
We Meet Again
Little Rock and Louisiana will face off for the second time this season with the Trojans hoping for a better result than the first time around. The Ragin' Cajuns took a 3-0 victory over Little Rock in Lafayette on October 14, outshooting the Trojans 15-11, including a 10-3 edge in shots on goal. Paige Henry made seven saves in goal for Little Rock, a season-best, while Julia Edholm and Jana Heinen combined for seven total shots on the night.
 
Year Four For Foster
Little Rock head coach is in his fourth year at the helm of the Trojans, boasting an overall record of 29-27-17 (.514) and a 15-13-10 (.526). Foster currently ranks second in program history in career winning percentage and is looking to become the fifth head coach to reach the 30-win plateau in the program's history. His 15 Sun Belt wins is tied for second in program history behind Adrian Blewitt's 16 while his .526 conference winning percentage is the highest among all former head coaches.
 
Scouting the Ragin' Cajuns
Louisiana enters the Sun Belt tournament as the number 10 seed following a 3-5-2 conference mark, finishing with 11 points. The Ragin' Cajuns are 6-10-2 on the year averaging 1.22 goals per game while allowing a league-worst 1.79. Louisiana is led by Karleen Bedre and Tatum Beck's five goals each on the year as Beck scored a pair against the Trojans back on October 14.
 
Series History
Monday is the 24th all-time meeting between Little Rock and Louisiana, the third-most meetings against an opponent for the Trojans in program history behind South Alabama (29) and Arkansas State (26). Louisiana holds a 13-6-4 edge in the all-time series as the Trojans are winless in their last four against the Ragin' Cajuns, suffering losses in 2020 and earlier this season while earning draws in 2019 and 2020. This is the first time the Trojans and Cajuns will meet in the Sun Belt tournament.
 
Defensive Minded
Defense has always been the hallmark of Mark Foster's teams, and this year's Little Rock squad has been no different. The Trojans lead the Sun Belt with eight shutouts on the year, including a stretch of five in six games where Little Rock allowed just one goal in 688 minutes. The Trojans have allowed 20 goals on the year, ranking tied for fourth in the Sun Belt, while also sitting fourth in goals against average (1.06).
 
Spreading the Wealth
Little Rock has had a balanced attack this season as the Trojans' 21 goals on the year have been scored by 11 different players. Jana Heinen leads the squad with four goals and three assists while Fanney Einarsdottir has added three goals and a helper with five other Trojans each scoring twice this season. Five different Trojans have taken at least 20 shots this season, led by 32 from Julia Edholm, with Heinen leading the team with 16 shots on goal, followed by 15 from Mariella Stephens.
 
Eclipsing 8,000
Fifth-year defender Bergros Asgeirsdottir continues to make her mark in the Little Rock record book, sitting atop the all-time leaders in three different categories. Asgeirsdottir, who returned for her extra season of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID pandemic, is the Trojans' all-time leader in minutes played (8,225), games played (94) and games started (88), passing Jane Picarelli (2007-10) as the all-time leader in all three categories. She has three goals and five assists in her Trojan career, including a pair of game-winning tallies.
 
Balanced in Net
Little Rock has used a dual effort in goal this season, utilizing both sophomore Saskia Wagner and freshman Paige Henry. The duo has each started eight games this season with Wagner posting a 0.88 goals against average and an .806 save percentage, making 29 saves, while Henry has a 1.30 GAA and a .683 save percentage, making 28 saves. The tandem each has three shutouts on the year while senior Hilma Svalander also has two starts, playing just over 93 minutes with a pair of saves and a shutout.
 
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