Little Rock Drops Spring Debut at No. 12 Oklahoma State

STILLWATER, Okla. – Little Rock put four shots on goal and Saskia Wagner made four saves but Little Rock dropped a 3-0 decision at No. 12 Oklahoma State on a chilly and windy Sunday afternoon.
 
The Trojans (4-6-3) made their first appearance on the pitch since a heartbreaking PK loss to top-seeded South Alabama in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and didn't show as if the time off left the team needing to get back into form. The 12^th-ranked Cowgirls (6-2-1) scored three times but needed set plays to push through two of those goals.
 
Only Oklahoma State's third goal, occurring in the 75^th minute, came from open field action. Apart from that, the Trojan defense was stingy throughout the full 90 minutes limiting the Cowgirls' open-field play with Oklahoma State's first two goals coming from set pieces.
 
"I was really pleased with how hard we made it for them to get through us and create opportunities," Little Rock Head Coach Mark Foster said. "Obviously set plays are going to happen but overall, they weren't getting open. In fact, they were finding it hard to get through Bergros Asgeirsdottir, Natalee Geren and our defensive line. We were able to restrict them to certain types of chances and limit their offense."
 
While OSU had other chances, Little Rock's Saskia Wagner repeatedly came up big in net. Wagner tallied five saves in all including one where a diving and outstretched Wagner barely deflected it with the tips of her fingers, altering the ball's path from the back of the net to careening off the post.
 
"Saskia made some very good saves and kept us in the game," Foster said of his goalkeeper. "I feel blessed that our goalkeeping spot is the best it has been since (assistant coach) Audra Larson and I have been at Little Rock. She showed that she's one of the top goalkeepers in our conference today and made some fantastic saves."
 
Little Rock was not relegated to only defensive situations throughout the game. The Trojans created chances and made seven shots, four of which went on goal. Those seven shots attempted overall by Little Rock are the most for the Trojans against Oklahoma State since getting nine shots off against the Cowgirls back in 2011.
 
"We had a couple of chances and their goalkeeper made some really nice saves," Foster said of his team's offensive performance. "We've had conference games where we didn't get as many efforts on goal. It was a very positive performance by our team today."
 
Little Rock now returns to Arkansas and will play at Harding on Wednesday, March 3.
 
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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