Trojans Gain Valuable Road Point in Draw at SIUE

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Bronte Peel's goal in the 47th minute was a crucial equalizer and Peyton Urban was clutch in goal as Little Rock gained a valuable point in a 1-1 draw at SIUE Sunday afternoon at Korte Stadium.
 
Trailing 1-0 after half, Peel took a pass from Colleen Gilliland and put it into the bottom center of the net past a diving goalkeeper to draw Little Rock (5-6-3, 2-3-1 Ohio Valley) even with the host Cougars (4-5-4, 3-1-2). Urban was then a brick wall through the final whistle, preventing any potential game-winning goals.
 
More than just an equalizer, Peel's goal - her second of the season - secured the draw and an all-import point in the Ohio Valley Conference tables. Little Rock now has seven points and is sixth in the OVC, sitting a mere three points from a first weekend host spot in the upcoming OVC Tournament. The No. 3 and No. 4 seeds will host the first two rounds of their respective sides in the conference tournament beginning Friday, Oct. 28.
 
The Trojans have only two matches left on their schedule, both at home, as they host league cellar dweller Eastern Illinois next Sunday, Oct. 16 before wrapping up the regular season at home against Tennessee Tech (5-4-4, 3-0-2). The Golden Eagles enter next week's action in a three-way tie for first alongside Morehead State and SIUE. 
 
To get the draw and steal a point from an SIUE team that moved into a tie for first place with Sunday's result, Little Rock had to fight through a physical challenge and recover from a first half miscue. SIUE was whistled 17 times for a foul, two of which were yellow cards on separate players. The Cougars also were flagged five times for offsides compared to Little Rock's two.
 
But SIUE also used that physicality to put more pressure on a Trojan defense that has thwarted some of the league's best offenses. Little Rock was out-shot overall, 14-9, with the Trojans holding a 6-4 disadvantage in shots on goal. Credit Urban and her five saves for allowing Little Rock to collect a point.
 
Scoring opened in the 36th minute when SIUE's Maria Haro took advantage of uneven numbers and a pass from Emma Dutko to put the Cougars on the board first. The teams would enter halftime with that 1-0 margin on the scoreboard before Little Rock and Peel evened the score less than two minutes into the second half. 
 
"I'm happy with today's performance." Head Coach Kelly Farrell said. "It's hard to get results on the road so I'm proud of the girls for battling back to get the tie. We played well in the second half, and I think that says a lot about their mentality to respond after being down."
 
Little Rock will be back in action next Sunday with a week of training in between games. The opponent will be Eastern Illinois and kickoff is set for noon at the Coleman Sports Complex.
 
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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