MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Natalee Geren registered the first goal of the season for Little Rock – an equalizer in the seventh minute – but No. 22 Memphis would take advantage of speed and set pieces in a 6-1 decision over the Trojans in front of 371 fans Thursday night.
Geren's goal marked the first strike of the season and the first score as members of the Ohio Valley Conference as Little Rock (0-1) began competition as the newest members of the OVC.
Kelly Farrell, making her head coaching debut, saw bright spots in her young team as they battled a challenging ranked opponent.
"This game is a step in the right direction," Farrell said. "While I hate losing and am not happy with the result, I am pleased with the progress we've made in two weeks. There were moments tonight where we really competed with Memphis. We knew they would be a challenge – that is why they are ranked in the top 25 – but there were moments where we challenged them and caused problems."
Geren, a fifth-year senior, scored in the seventh minute on a free kick thanks to a Memphis (1-0) penalty just a few feet outside of the box. Her strike was too much to handle for the Memphis goalkeeper, ricocheting off the keeper's hands and into the net.
That play was set up thanks to an opportunistic pass from
Jessie Vaden to
Abbie Smith, who fed it to
Karina De Paoli. De Paoli would draw the foul, resulting in Geren's scoring free kick.
That evened the match at 1-1 after Memphis struck early on a set piece in the fifth minute, one of four set-piece goals in the game for the 22
nd-ranked Tigers. They would score again the 21
st minute and 35
th minute before the break. In all, Memphis used a 13-1 advantage in corner kicks to keep pressure on the Trojans.
"Unfortunately, it's hard to compete on the scoresheet when you don't defend set pieces properly," said Farrell. "We will use the next few days to refine a lot of things and get ready for our home opener Sunday. I'm excited to play a home game and to see our home crowd."
Memphis would score in the 49
th minute on a header from a corner kick but Little Rock would hold the Tigers scoreless over the next 30 minutes. Credit goalkeeper
Paige Henry for that scoreless streak, making three of her six saves over that half-hour span.
Little Rock returns home on Sunday to host Mississippi Valley State in the Trojans' home opener at 6 p.m. The annual Trojan Tailgate – featuring free food, games and giveaways – begins at 5 p.m.
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.
Get the latest Trojan news – including the weekly Trojan Report – delivered to you direct to your inbox by
signing up for Little Rock Trojan E-News here.
#LittleRocksTeam
