FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Riding a five-match home unbeaten streak, in which they’ve surrendered just four goals, the Arkansas women’s soccer team will host the Wildcats of Kentucky in the 2014 Southeastern Conference opener. The match is slated to start at 7:05 p.m. and will be featured on the SEC Network+, as well as, ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app.
| GAME INFORMATION | ||
|---|---|---|
GAME | Arkansas (4-2-2, 0-0-0 SEC) vs. Kentucky (5-2-0, 0-0-0 SEC) | |
DATE/TIME | Sept. 19, 2014 | 7:05 p.m. CT | |
VENUE | Razorback Field (1,200) | Fayetteville, Ark. | |
LIVE STATS | ArkansasRazorbacks.com | |
VIDEO | SECNetwork+, ESPN3, WatchESPN App | |
TALENT | Alex Perlman (P-B-P), Rachael Caldwell (Analyst) | |
SERIES | 20th Meeting; Kentucky leads 11-6-2 | |
SOCIAL | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | |
Following Friday’s matchup against Kentucky, the Razorbacks will hit the road for a pair of SEC road matches. Arkansas will face Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. (Sept. 25), before heading to Baton Rouge, La. to battle the Tigers of LSU (Sept. 28).
WITH A WIN
With a win or a tie against Kentucky on Friday night, the Razorbacks will extend their home unbeaten streak to six games and open SEC play with a win for the eighth time in program history.
ARKANSAS AND THE SEC
- The Razorbacks are 7-12-1 in SEC openers and 9-10-1 in SEC home openers.
- Under Coach Hale, Arkansas is 0-2-0 in SEC openers.
- Arkansas is 56-123-14 all-time in SEC play.
- The Razorbacks have complied a 11-12-1 SEC record under Hale.
The Razorbacks and Wildcats will meet for the 20th time in program history. Kentucky leads the series 11-6-2, with the last meeting coming on Sept. 27, 2013 in Lexington, Ky. (Arkansas 3, UK 0).
- Arkansas is 6-11-2 all-time vs. Kentucky and 4-3-1 at home against the Wildcats.
- The last time Arkansas and Kentucky met in Fayetteville, the Razorbacks defeated UK 3-2 (Sept. 21, 2012).
- The Razorbacks have collected back-to-back wins against UK and are 4-1-1 in their last six games against the Wildcats.
- Arkansas is 2-0-0 vs. Kentucky under head coach Colby Hale.
- Head coach Jon Lipsitz is in his sixth season. His .682 career winning percentage ranks third among active coaches in the SEC.
- Through non-conference play, Arin Gilliland in the SEC is 1st in shots (40), 1st in shots per game (5.71), 3rd in points (14), 3rd in points per game (2.00), 2nd in assists (6) and 2nd in assists per game (0.86). In national stats released this week, Arin Gilliland is 5th in APG, 18th in PPG, 5th in total assists, and 25th in total points in the country.
- Taylor Braun won Co-SEC Freshman of the Week on Sept. 9 for back-to-back shutouts.
- Kentucky’s goalkeepers, along with the Wildcats back line, did not allow a goal for 387-consecutive minutes spanning six different matches. The streak was the longest scoreless streak for UK under head coach Jon Lipsitz. It was the first time since 1995 that UK has shutout four-consecutive opponents. The streak ended on Sunday when No. 12 Pepperdine scored in the 21st minute on Taylor Braun.
- 1,221 fans came out to Razorback Field to watch Arkansas take on Rice.
- The Razorbacks posted a season-best 30 shots and six goals in the victory.
- The 6-1 victory was the largest margin of victory for Arkansas at Razorback Field since Sept. 21, 2008 when they defeated Nicholls State, 7-0.
- The six goals were the most Arkansas goals at Razorback Field since Sept. 21, 2008 when they scored seven against Nicholls State.
- 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 2,979 followers and is 21 followers away from becoming the 23rd Division I women’s soccer program with 3,000 Twitter followers.
- Arkansas is 28-20-3 in the Colby Hale era.
- The Razorbacks own a 101-86-15 record at Razorback Field.
- Arkansas is 17-7-2 in 26 home games under Hale.
- Sunday night’s attendance of 1,221 marked the third time in four home games this season the Razorbacks have drawn over 1,000 fans.
- The six goals on Sunday were the most scored in a single game this season by the Razorbacks.
- The 30 shots for Arkansas against Missouri State (Sept. 14) was a season-high.
- The 6-1 victory over the Bears on Sunday was the largest margin of victory for Arkansas at Razorback Field since Sept. 21, 2008 when they defeated Nicholls State, 7-0. The Razorbacks’ six goals were the most Arkansas goals at Razorback Field since Sept. 21, 2008 when they scored seven against Nicholls State.
- The Razorbacks are riding a five-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 Stats | SEC Standings
- After receiving votes in both the TopDrawerSoccer and NSCAA polls last week, Arkansas did not receive consideration in either national poll this week.
- Arkansas was also ranked No. 8 in this week’s NSCAA NCAA Division I - South Poll, behind Florida, Texas A&M, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Auburn and Kentucky.
- Click HERE to view this week’s NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I - South Poll
- The Razorbacks are ranked in the top 100 in four categories:
- Assists – 21st
- Points – 49th
- Scoring Offense – 65th
- Won-Lost-Tied Percentage – 94th
- ASHLEIGH ELLENWOOD, TYLER ALLEN, CLAIRE KELLEY and CAMERON CARTER are each ranked in the top 70 in at least one individual statistic
- Ellenwood is ranked 5th in total assists, 10th assists per game, 25th in total points and 40th in points per game.
- Carter is ranked 14th in goalie minutes played (760:00).
- Allen and Kelley are tied for 63rd in assists per game.
- Junior ASHLEIGH ELLENWOOD received Honorable Mention for the TopDrawerSoccer.com Women’s Team of the Week after helping lead the Razorbacks to a 1-0-1 record last week.
*Click HERE to view this week’s TopDrawerSoccer.com Women’s Team of the Week*- Ellenwood finished the week with two goals and a pair of assists.
- In the team’s 6-1 win over MSU, she tallied six points (2 goals, 2 assists), which were a career-high and gave her 62 in her career, making her just the sixth player in school history to record 60 or more points.
- Her two goals gave her 24 in her career and moved her into a sixth-place tie with Heather Cato (1996-99) on the school’s all-time goal list.
- Her two assists put her into the top 10 of the school’s all-time assists list. She now has 14 assists in her career, putting her in a ninth-place tie with Andie Hickman (1993-96) and teammate TYLER ALLEN.
- Senior TYLER ALLEN’s assist against Missouri State (Sept. 14) gave her 14 in her career, putting her in a tie for ninth all-time.
- Sophomore CLAIRE KELLEY posted a career-high three points in the win over Missouri State (1 goal, 1 assist)
- In the Missouri State victory redshirt junior MARGARET POWER scored her second goal in three games and now has four goals in her career.
- Sophomore ERIKA MILLER and freshman ABBY SIEPERDA each scored their first career goal on Sunday.
- Sophomores DEE DEE GREEN and ALEXANDRA FISCHER each handed out their first career assist in the 6-1 win over MSU.
- Sophomore goalkeeper CAMERON CARTER registered her second shutout of the season and the ninth of her career in Friday night’s 0-0 (2 OT) draw with Rice. She also collected six saves, her second-highest total of the year, to help the Razorbacks collect the scoreless result.
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)
6. 24, 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)
3. 16, Brittany Burns (1995-98)
3. 16, Honey Marsh (1991-94)
3. 16, Kit Carson (1990-93)
3. 16, Ruthie Miller (1989-92)
8. 15, Julie Williford (2000-03)
9. 14, Andie Hickman (1993-96)
9. 14, ASHLEIGH ELLENWOOD (2012-present)
9. 14, TYLER ALLEN (2011-present)
12. 13, Nicole Bynum (1996-99)
Just out of the top 10:
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. 62, ASHLEIGH ELLENWOOD (2012-present)
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The Razorbacks are 101-86-15 all-time at Razorback Field. Under head coach Colby Hale, Arkansas is 17-7-2 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.
2013 #RAZORFACT TO REMEMBER
Arkansas’ record-setting 2013 started in style, as it opened with seven straight wins to find its way into the top 25 for the first time in program history. Over the opening seven games of last year, the Razorbacks out-scored their opponents 15-5 while coming away three overtime victories.
For more information on Arkansas soccer, follow @RazorbackSoccer on Twitter.