Trojans Set For Quarterfinal Clash With Jaguars Wednesday

GAME 20 - SOUTH ALABAMA Sun Belt Tournament Quarterfinals
Date/Time	Wednesday, Nov. 3 - 1:30 p.m.
Location	Foley, Ala.
Stadium	Foley Sports and Tourism Complex
Records	Little Rock (7-7-5, 3-4-3 SBC) South Alabama (10-4-2, 6-2-2 SBC)
Watch	ESPN+
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Twitter	@LittleRockSOC
History	Little Rock vs. South Alabama
Tournament Central	2021 Sun Belt Championship

Opening Draw
Little Rock continues its stay in Foley, Alabama, advancing to the quarterfinal where the seventh-seeded Trojans will face second-seeded South Alabama on Wednesday, November 3. Opening draw against the Jaguars is set for 1:30 p.m. from the Foley Sports and Tourism Complex.
 
Tournament Time
Little Rock continued to build on past successes at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex, earning the penalty kick win over Louisiana Monday in the opening round. Since the conference tournament started being held in Foley, Little Rock is 3-2-5, including four wins by way of a shootout. The Trojans have won or advanced in 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 5-11-6 all-time in Sun Belt tournament games.
 
Clutch on Penalty Kicks
Since 2017, Little Rock has been involved in five matches in Foley that has finished with a draw in double overtime and forced penalty kicks, coming away victorious in four of those matches.
 
2017 Quarterfinals: T,  1-1 vs. Arkansas State, won on penalty kicks, 3-1
2018 Quarterfinals: T, 1-1 vs. Arkansas State, won on penalty kicks, 4-3
2018 Championship: T, 0-0 vs. Texas State, won on penalty kicks, 6-5
2020 Quarterfinals: T, 2-2 vs. South Alabama, lost on penalty kicks, 4-3
2021 First Round: T, 1-1 vs. Louisiana, won on penalty kicks, 3-0
 
We Meet Again
Little Rock and South Alabama meet for the second time this season as the two teams battled to a 1-1 double overtime draw in Little Rock on September 19. Scoreless through the first 71 minutes, South Alabama scored in the 72nd minute to take the 1-0 lead, but Bergros Asgeirsdottir converted off her own missed penalty kick attempt in the 85th minute to score the equalizer. South Alabama dominated in shots, outshooting the Trojans 23-6, but put just seven on net, resulting in six saves for Paige Henry.
 
Year Four For Foster
Little Rock head coach is in his fourth year at the helm of the Trojans, boasting an overall record of 29-27-18 (.514) and a 15-13-10 (.526) mark in conference play. 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 Jaguars
South Alabama enters the Sun Belt tournament as the number two overall seed, sitting at 6-2-2 in league play and 10-4-2 overall, finishing two points back of regular season champion Arkansas State. South Alabama is the league's highest scoring team, averaging 3.56 goals and 17.31 shots per game, led by 11 goals and nine assists from Sun Belt Player of the Year Gracie Wilson and seven goals and three assists from Newcomer of the Year Sydney Ham. Defensively, South Alabama is allowing 1.31 goals per game, limiting the opposition to 8.6 shots and 4.6 shots on goal per game.
 
Series History
Little Rock and South Alabama meet for the 30th time Wednesday, the longest series history in Trojan soccer program history. The Jaguars hold a 20-6-3 edge in the all-time series, including a nine-game winning streak from 2011 through 2017. The Trojans earned a 2-1 win in 2018 at Coleman to end the streak, followed by a 3-0 loss in Mobile in 2019 and the a 2-2 tie in the Sun Belt semifinals in 2020, eventually won by South Alabama in penalty kicks, 4-3. This is the fifth time the two teams will meet each other in posteason play with South Alabama holding a 3-0-1 mark in the Sun Belt tournament.
 
Familiar Faces
Wednesday's game will feature a showdown between the only two teams to win a Sun Belt tournament title since 2013. The Jaguars have been the dominant force in the league over the past eight years, winning the conference tournament title seven times. The one year they didn't was in 2018, the year Little Rock made its memorable run to the conference title.
 
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 21 goals on the year, ranking tied for fourth in the Sun Belt, while also sitting fourth in goals against average (1.04).
 
Spreading the Wealth
Little Rock has had a balanced attack this season as the Trojans' 23 goals on the year have been scored by 11 different players. Jana Heinen leads the squad with four goals and three assists while Abril Lucio and Fanney Einarsdottir  have each scored three times and four other Trojans have scored twice. Six different Trojans have taken at least 20 shots this season, led by 35 from Julia Edholm, with Heinen leading the team with 16 shots on goal, followed by 15 from both Edholm and Mariella Stephens.
 
Iron Woman
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 (8,335), games played (95) and games started (89), passing Jane Picarelli (2007-10) as the all-time leader in all three categories. Asgeirsdottir has tallied 1,721 minutes this season and has played every minute of the last nine matches for the Trojans.
 
Balanced in Net
Little Rock has used a dual effort in goal this season, utilizing both sophomore Saskia Wagner and freshman Paige Henry. Wagner made her ninth start of the season against Louisiana Monday and is 2-2-3 on the year with a 0.87 goals against average and a 0.818 save percentage, making 36 saves with three shutouts. Henry has started eight games and played in 11 for the Trojans with a 4-4-2 record, a 1.30 goals against average and a .683 save percentage with 28 saves and three shutouts. Additionally, Hilma Svalander has played in two games for the Trojans with a shutout as well.
 
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