LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – It was a high-scoring, hard-fought battle between the Trojans and Golden Hurricane as the match ended in a 3-3 draw on Senior Day. In a game with nine yellow cards, multiple injuries and plenty of shots, the teams went back and forth the whole way.
It was a hot, sunny Sunday as Little Rock celebrated its 2025 senior class:
Serenity Thake,
Amaya Arias,
Emma Beattie,
Kendra Brown and
Peyton Urban.
Little Rock kicked off, but Tulsa took control of the ball early. Midfielders Thake and Arias, along with freshman
Emily Nahon, handled the pressure well. But a quick counterattack and pass from Thake set up sophomore
Maria Schuller to open the scoring and give the Trojans a 1-0 lead.
The Golden Hurricane's back line left a wide-open lane for Schuller, and Little Rock took advantage again five minutes later. Arias led another counter that sent sophomore
Maggie Turner through an open gap, and she dodged the keeper to make it 2-0.
The first half closed soon after Turner's goal but not without trouble. Four yellow cards were issued, and there were two injury stoppages. Freshman
Lexi Duarte received a second yellow and was sent off in the 42nd minute after diving on the ball from behind during a Tulsa counterattack.
The second half began with Little Rock down to 10 players, and Tulsa pressed hard. The visitors converted a penalty kick 15 minutes in to cut the deficit to one, then scored a curling shot from outside the box that found the top corner to tie the match.
It looked as if the Trojans might settle for a 2-2 draw, but they struck again. Freshman
Clair Silvestro lofted a ball over midfield to Schuller, who dribbled through defenders and scored her second goal. The celebration didn't last long as Tulsa immediately created chance after chance and eventually scored in the bottom corner to make it 3-3.
Urban showed tremendous poise in goal, recording 11 saves to preserve the result.
Five more yellow cards, including one to the Tulsa bench, and two more injury stoppages punctuated a fiery finish.
Head coach
Kelly Farrell praised her team's resilience, and is eager to continue it onto conference play.
"I'm really proud of the team and the grit and character they showed today," Farrell said. "We scored two great goals to go up early. It's always tough when you have to play down a player for more than half the game, but I thought we battled to get a result despite the circumstances. I'm looking forward to carrying that mentality and fighting into the OVC opening weekend."
Little Rock opens Ohio Valley Conference play next Sunday at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tenn. The match will kick off at 1 p.m. and stream on ESPN+.
For the latest information on Little Rock Soccer, check out LRTrojans.com. You can also follow the team on social media at @LittleRockSOC on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Get the latest Trojan news, including the weekly Trojan Report, delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for Little Rock Trojan E-News
here.
#LittleRocksTeam | #RockSolid
