@RazorbackSoccer Wraps Up Weekend With Missouri State

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas women’s soccer team will look to remain unbeaten at home when they host Missouri State in non-conference action on Sunday night (Sept. 14). The match, slated to start at 7:05 p.m., is the second contest of a three-match homestand for the Razorbacks and will be featured on the SEC Network+.

UP NEXT
Following Sunday’s matchup against MSU, the Razorbacks take on SEC foe Kentucky (Sept. 19) in the third and final match of a three-match homestand.

WITH A WIN
With a win or a tie against Missouri State on Friday night, the Razorbacks will have a two-match unbeaten streak and remain undefeated at home.

ARKANSAS/MISSOURI STATE SERIES
The Razorbacks and Bears will meet for the 16th time in program history. Arkansas leads the series 12-3, with the last meeting coming on Sept. 1, 2013 in Springfield, Mo. (Arkansas 3, MSU 0).

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT: MISSOURI STATE
Missouri State returns 17 letterwinners and nine starters from last year's squad that finished fourth in the MVC with a 2-2-2 record. The Bears were 5-10-4 last season and were knocked out of the MVC Tournament on penalty kicks by Evansville in the first round.

Missouri State senior defender Kelsey Fouch was a unanimous selection to the preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference team and the Bears were picked to finish tied for fourth as voted by the league coaches. Fouch, an All-MVC first team selection and MVC Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, is one of the nine returning starters for MSU. She is one of five seniors and is the vocal leader of the Bears' backline. Fouch has started every match that she has appeared in for MSU.

The Bears picked up 26 points and tied with Evansville for fourth in the league preseason standings. Illinois State earned 48 points and was selected to repeat as league front-runners after winning the regular season and MVC Tournament titles in 2013. Indiana State (37 points) and Loyola (32) were picked ahead of MSU with Drake (14) and UNI (13) rounding out the preseason poll.

LAST TIME OUT: vs. RICE (Sept. 12)

• 900 fans came out to Razorback Field to watch Arkansas take on Rice.
• The Razorbacks posted a season-best 22 shots in the draw.
• Goalkeeper Cameron Carter registered her second shutout of the season and the ninth of her career. She also collected six saves, her second-highest total of the year, to help the Razorbacks collect the scoreless result.

@RAZORBCKSOCCER TWEETABLES

• With a social media push a week before to the season opener on Friday, Aug. 22, @RazorbackSoccer moved into the Top 25 for Division I women’s soccer Twitter accounts. Arkansas is now No. 23 with 2,961 followers and is 39 followers away from becoming the 23rd Division I women’s soccer program with 3,000 Twitter followers.
• Arkansas is 27-20-4 in the Colby Hale era.
• Last weekend’s matches against No. 19 Duke and No. 12/14 North Carolina marked the first time since Sept. 27 & 29, 2012 that Arkansas played back-to-back ranked opponents (at No. 14 Kentucky, at No. 20 South Carolina).
• Arkansas owns a 100-86-15 record at Razorback Field.
• The Razorbacks are 16-7-2 in 25 home games under head coach Colby Hale.
• Arkansas broke the Razorback Field all-time attendance mark in its second home game this season, as 2,268 were in attendance against Oklahoma State (Aug. 24).
• Arkansas’ total attendance in three home games this year is 4,685 (1,562 per contest).
• The Razorbacks are riding a four-game unbeaten streak at Razorback Field. The last home loss for Arkansas came on Oct. 27, 2013 when they dropped a 1-0 decision to Georgia.
• SEC Standings

NATIONAL POLLS

• The Razorbacks were ranked No. 20 in last week’s TopDrawerSoccer.com Division I Top 25 Poll (Sept. 1) and No. 18 in the NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I Poll that was released on Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 2). After dropping a pair of matches to nationally-ranked opponents, Arkansas dropped out of the Top 25 in both polls, but were considered in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Poll and are receiving votes (30) in the NSCAA Poll.
  • Click HERE to view this week’s NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I Poll
  • Click HERE to view this week’s TopDrawerSoccer.com Division I Top 25 Poll

• Arkansas was also ranked No. 5 in this week’s NSCAA NCAA Division I - South Poll, behind Florida, Texas A&M, Auburn and South Carolina.
  • Click HERE to view this week’s NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I - South Poll

NATIONAL RANKINGS (THRU GAMES 9.11.14)

• The Razorbacks are ranked in the top 100 in two categories:
  • Assists – 47th
  • Points – 87th

• ASHLEIGH ELLENWOOD is the lone Razorbacks ranked in the top 35 in an individual statistic
  • Ellenwood is ranked 21st in total assists (4) and 31st in assists per game (0.67).

@RAZORBACKSOCCER PLAYER NOTES

• Sophomore goalkeeper CAMERON CARTER registered her second shutout of the season in the 0-0 (2OT) draw with Rice on Friday (Sept. 12). The shutout was the ninth of her career.
  • She also collected six saves, her second-highest total of the year.

• Junior ASHLEIGH ELLENWOOD tallied an assist in Arkansas’ 2-1 loss to No. 12 UNC (Sept. 7).
  • She has 22 goals of her career, which puts her two goals behind Heather Cato (1996-99) for sixth on Arkansas’ all-time goals list.
  • The assist on Sunday gave Ellenwood 56 for her career, moving her out of a sixth-place tie with Alexis Hyrup (1992-96) and into the fifth spot on Arkansas’ all-time points list.

• Sophomore CLAIRE KELLEY’s assist in the UNC loss, was her third of the season and the fifth of her career.
  • Kelley’s has a pair of goals and three assists on the season.
  • Kelley, who is second on the team with seven points, now has 13 career points.

• Senior KAYLYN COOPER and sophomore ERIKA MILLER were named to the 2014 Duke Nike Classic All-Tournament Team last weekend.
  • 2014 Duke Nike Classic All-Tournament Team
    Emily Hurd, Penn State
    Frannie Crouse, Penn State
    Toni Payne, Duke
    Kaylyn Cooper, Arkansas
    Salina Williford, Penn State
    Satara Murray, North Carolina
    Christina Gibbons, Duke
    Erika Miller, Arkansas
    Jessie Scarpa, North Carolina
    Summer Green, North Carolina
    Offensive MVP – Kelly Cobb, Duke
    Defensive MVP - Brooke Elby, North Carolina

@RAZORBACKSOCCER ALL-TIME RECORDS WATCH
Goals
1. 44, Julie Williford (2000-03)
2. 38, Ruthie Miller (1989-92)
3. 35, Mary Howard (1987-90)
4. 29, Christina Burger (2003-06)
5. 25, Brittany Burns (1995-98)
6. 24, Heather Cato (1996-99)
7. 22, ASHLEIGH ELLENWOOD (2012-present)
8. 20, Jessica Fraser (1997-98)

Assists
1. 26, Holly Collins (1997-01)
2. 17, Alexis Hyrup (1992-96)
3. 16, Abbey Wilburn (2005-08)
    16, Brittany Burns (1995-98)
    16, Honey Marsh (1991-94)
    16, Kit Carson (1990-93)
    16, Ruthie Miller (1989-92)
8. 15, Julie Williford (2000-03)
9. 14, Andie Hickman (1993-96)
10. 13, Nicole Bynum (1996-99)

Just out of the top 10:
12, ASHLEIGH ELLENWOOD (2012-present)
10, JERIANN OKORO (2011-present)

Points
1. 103, Julie Williford (2000-03)
2. 92, Ruthie Miller (1989-92)
3. 81, Mary Howard (1987-90)
4. 69, Christina Burger (2003-06)
5. 66, Brittany Burns (1995-98)
6. 56, ASHLEIGH ELLENWOOD (2012-present)

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The Razorbacks are 100-86-15 all-time at Razorback Field. Under head coach Colby Hale, Arkansas is 16-7-2 on its home pitch. Outscoring the opposition 21-13 with five shutouts, the Razorbacks finished the 2013 campaign with an 8-3 record on their home pitch.

#SCTop10
In Arkansas’ 2-1 exhibition win over Creighton on Aug. 14, Tyler Allen’s 40-yard free kick goal in the 65th minute proved to be the game-winner. After a Creighton foul, Allen stepped up for a Razorback free kick and delivered a perfectly struck ball 40-yards down field that landed in left-hand side of the goal to break a 1-1 deadlock. Allen’s goal helped Arkansas pick up a victory in a contest they statistically dominated.

Her incredible goal came in at No. 6 on the SportsCenter Top 10 that night.

THE 2014 EDITION OF @RAZORBACKSOCCER
The Razorbacks are coming off a record-setting 2013 season that saw the team collect the most regular season wins in school history (15) and the programs first-ever NCAA Tournament victory. Arkansas will look to improve on those achievements this year as they enter one of the most anticipated seasons in program history.

Arkansas returns 20 players that accounted for 102 of the team’s 136 points from a team that went 15-8-1 and 5-6 in Southeastern Conference play. Of the 12 different players that scored a goal last year, eight return to make up 82 percent (36-of-44) of the goals.

TOP 100 UPPERCLASSMEN
Junior Ashleigh Ellenwood was named among Top Drawer Soccer's women's National Top 100 Upperclassmen. Ellenwood clocked in at the No. 54 spot.

The Michigan City, Ind., native enters her junior season on the heels of an All-SEC second team choice. Ellenwood led the Razorbacks with 35 points on team-highs of 14 goals and 7 assists a year ago to help Arkansas win a program-best 15 games. Over the 24-game season, Ellenwood registered a point in 14 of those contests, highlighted by six game-winning goals, which set a new program single-season record.

DUO NAMED TO THE COLLEGE SPORTS MADNESS PRESEASON TEAM
Forward Ashleigh Ellenwood and defender Kaylyn Cooper were named to the College Sports Madness SEC Soccer Preseason All-Conference Teams.

Ellenwood, who earned All-SEC second team honors last season, was named to the first-team preseason all-conference squad. Cooper, an anchor of the Arkansas backline that registered five shutouts last season, earned a spot on the second team.

NATIONAL PRESEASON POLLS
The Razorbacks were ranked No. 23 in the 2014 TopDrawerSoccer.com Preseason Poll that was announced on Monday, Aug. 11. The Razorbacks were one of four SEC squads ranked in the Top 25 along with No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 5 Florida and No. 9 South Carolina.

Arkansas, one of seven SEC programs to at least receive votes in the NSCAA preseason top 25 poll, will face four opponents ranked in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Preseason Poll in No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 5 Florida, No. 8 North Carolina and No. 12 Duke. The Gators and the Aggies will both battle the Razorbacks at Razorback Field this season.

PRESEASON SEC POLL
With 20 letterwinners, including eight starters, returning from last year’s NCAA Sweet Sixteen squad, the Arkansas women’s soccer team was tabbed eighth in the SEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, announced by the league office on Monday, Aug. 11.

LOVE FROM TOPDRAWERSOCCER.COM

In TopDrawerSoccer.com’s SEC preseason preview, the outlet highlighted Arkansas.

Here’s what they had to say about head coach Colby Hale and his Razorbacks:

“It was a breakout campaign for head coach Colby Hale and the Razorbacks, winning the program’s first-ever NCAA tournament game, advancing all the way to the third round before bowing out to Duke on penalty kicks. Forward Ashleigh Ellenwood, whose play in 2013 helped her earn a call-up to a U.S. U23 WNT camp, looks to lead the program’s encore, as they continue to climb the regular season conference standings. In all, eight of the team’s starters from last year’s squad are back, including Jeriann Okoro, Tyler Allen and Claire Kelley.”

U-23 US NATIONAL TEAM CAMP
Ashleigh Ellenwood got an early jump on her preparation for the 2014 campaign when she participated in the U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team Domestic Training Camp from July 15-22 in Seattle, Wash.

A total of 24 players that were either current collegiate athletes or just played their senior season last fall made up the roster that will be led by head coach Steve Swanson over the seven days. 

For more information on Arkansas soccer, follow @RazorbackSoccer on Twitter.