CONWAY, Ark. – Little Rock forward
Mari Young scored her first goal of the season to even the game in the 67
th minute, but the Trojans' defense let up two late goals in a 3-1 loss Thursday at Central Arkansas in the Governor's I-40 Showdown presented by Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Through 45 minutes of action, Little Rock (0-2-0) found effective shots but struggled to finish. The homestanding Sugar Bears (1-1-1) took a 1-0 lead into halftime despite being out-shot, 8-3, and with Little Rock posting a 4-2 shots on goal advantage through the first half of play. UCA used a two-on-one mismatch to break open the scoreless contest in the 25
th minute.
But the Trojans would come out of halftime with a renewed energy. Young, who missed the entire 2021 season due to injury, scored her first goal since 2019 with a well-placed shot to the bottom left corner of the net from the top of the box. Her score, coming from an assist by
Natalee Geren, came in the 67
th minute to even the game at 1-1.
"I'm disappointed in the result today," said Little Rock Head Coach
Kelly Farrell. "I didn't think that our energy and intensity from the opening whistle matched what we brought at Memphis. I was proud of the team's response in the second half. I thought that we had some really good moments and Mari scored a really great goal. We created some opportunities and I thought we had them on their heels at points, but some mental lapses and some mental mistakes obviously cost us the game."
Those mental lapses came later in the second half as UCA regained the lead in the 72
nd minute with a breakaway strike by Tristyn Pavatt. Less than 10 minutes later, the Sugar Bears extended their lead as Kelly Van Gundy scored in the 82
nd minute.
Peyton Urban, making her collegiate debut, recorded three saves for Little Rock and consistently supplied defensive pressure to stymie the Central Arkansas attack.
Thwarted last week by an opponent unable to field a roster, Little Rock will return home to host its home opener at the Coleman Sports Complex Sunday evening. Arkansas-Pine Bluff will visit the Capital City for a 6 p.m. kickoff as Little Rock looks to finally play in front of a home crowd.
Trojan fans are encouraged to arrive by 5 p.m. for the Trojan Tailgate with free food, games and giveaways available as the University's annual Welcome Week festivities draw to a close.
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
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