LITTLE ROCK, Ark.- The Trojans entered Sunday's contest against Alabama A&M coming off the back of a 4-0 win in Pine Bluff on Thursday. Coach
Kelly Farrell's lineup featured just one change from the midweek, with
Camryn Jacobs making her first start of 2023 as the right back in a 4-3-3.
From the opening whistle, Little Rock was on the front foot, creating chance after chance down the left, right, and through the middle of the park. After pinning Alabama A&M in their own defensive third and numerous spells of sustained possession, the Trojans got their breakthrough in the 21
st minute, when freshman winger
Emily Jensen rocketed a first-time effort from well outside the box along the left wing into the back of the net – her 2
nd goal in the last two matches. Captain
Colleen Gilliland got the assist, her 1
st of the year to go along with two goals.
Just five minutes later, senior midfielder
Karina De Paoli doubled Little Rock's advantage with a right-footed laser from a good 25 yards out, her 3
rd goal in the last two matches, and her 2
nd from outside the box. De Paoli leads the Trojans with three goals on the year.
Despite continuing to dominate throughout the half, the sides would enter the break with Little Rock leading 2-0. In the first period, the Trojans out shot the visitors 18-0, taking eight corner kicks to the Bulldogs zero.
It wasn't long after play resumed for the 2
nd half that Little Rock were able to get their 3
rd goal and put the game to bed.
Bronte Peel was not to be denied, as just moments after her would-be goal was disallowed for offside, the redshirt sophomore from Branxton, New South Wales put the finishing touches on a well-timed
Serenity Thake through ball with a lovely high, front post finish in the 52
nd minute. Thake picks up her team-leading 2
nd assist of the year.
The Trojans kept their 2
nd straight clean sheet, and 3
rd of the season, with
Marie Cimatti and
Peyton Urban splitting the minutes in net.
Takeaways
- Since their lone loss on the year, the Trojans have conceded just once in their last 4 matches, and have outscored their opponents 8-1 in those matches
- Little Rock's 27 shots marks the most in a match since Kelly Farrell took charge in May of last year.
- Freshman Kaitlin Graeber has started in all seven matches, and is the only Trojans midfielder to surpass 500 minutes played. She is on pace to break Little Rock's freshman minutes played record.
What's Next
Little Rock moves to 2-1-4 on the year, with just one game left until Ohio Valley Conference play begins. The Trojans travel to Ruston, Louisiana on Thursday to play Louisiana Tech, before returning home for their first two Ohio Valley Conference matches of 2023.
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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