COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Arkansas women’s soccer team wrapped up the 2014 regular season with a 2-1 loss to the Tigers of Missouri on Thursday night.
With the loss, the Razorbacks fell to 8-6-5 overall and 4-4-3 in the SEC, while the Tigers improved to 11-5-3 overall and 6-4-1 in conference. The loss also dropped Arkansas to the No. 9 seed in the 2014 SEC Tournament, where they will face No. 8 Georgia on Monday, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m.
The scoreless match was broken in the 28th minute when Taylor Grant tallied her seventh goal of the season to give the home team a 1-0 lead. Kaysie Clark found Grant, who then dribbled up to the top of the box and sent a shot into the upper right corner of the net for Grant's team-leading seventh goal of the season.
After a header from Grant nearly gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead early in the second half, the Razorbacks blasted home their own chance in for a 1-1 game in the 55th minute. Sophomore Alexandra Fischer sent a well-placed shot into the corner of the net off a pass from junior Ashleigh Ellenwood for the equalizer. The goal was Fischer’s sixth of the season.
The Razorbacks sent a flurry of shots toward Mizzou's net over the next five minutes, but were unable to cash in.
Mizzou responded by earning three corners in seven minutes midway through the second frame. On the third corner in the 74th minute, Savannah Trujillo lofted the ball 10-yards in front of the net. Lauren Selaiden got her foot on the pass and one-timed a shot toward the lower left corner of the goal. Her attempt got through traffic and trickled over the goal line to give Missouri a 2-1 lead with 17 minutes left in regulation.
A last-minute push from Arkansas had them with a near breakaway in the final seconds but Ellenwood's long shot with one second remaining flew high.
The Tigers outshot the Razorbacks 17-13 and held a 5-3 edge in shots on goal on the night.
The Razorbacks, the No. 9 seed, will open the 2014 SEC Tournament at the Orange Beach Sportsplex in Orange Beach, Ala. with a contest with No. 8 Georgia. The game, which is set to kickoff at 6 p.m. CT on Monday, Nov. 3, will be broadcast nationally on the SEC Network.
For more information on Arkansas soccer, follow @RazorbackSoccer on Twitter.
POSTGAME NOTES
- The loss drops Arkansas’ record in the Colby Hale era to 32-24-6.
- In 35 SEC games under Hale, Arkansas is now 15-16-4.
- Arkansas is 60-127-17 all-time in SEC games.
- Arkansas now holds a 4-3-0 advantage over Missouri in the all-time series.
- Arkansas is 2-2 in games played in Columbia, Mo.
- With her assist tonight, junior Ashleigh Ellenwood now has 71 career points.
- She sits alone in fourth place on the school’s all-time points list.
- The assist was also the 21st of Ellenwood’s career, pulling her within five assists of the program record.
- The school’s all-time assist leader is Holly Collins (26; 1997-01).
- It was also the 13th assist this season for Ellenwood, giving her the school’s single-season assist record.
- Tonight’s game marked the 80th match that senior Tyler Allen has appeared in for Arkansas, which ties the school’s all-time games played record.
- Alexandra Fischer’s goal is her sixth of the season, giving her the team lead,
- The goal is also the ninth of her career.