FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Fresh off its third postseason appearance under current head coach Colby Hale and with 13 letterwinners returning to the roster, the Razorback soccer team is poised to not only make a return trip to the NCAA Tournament, but also compete for the SEC title when the 2017 season gets underway on Aug. 18.
With just over a month until the start of the season, we’re taking a look back at the record-setting 2016 season that included a school-record 10 wins at Razorback Field, a top-five win over Duke, and the first home NCAA Regional match in program history.
This week, we’ll take a look at the Razorbacks’ 2-1 win over No. 2 Duke with 3,010 fans in attendance, the largest ever in Razorback Field history.
How It Happened
Arkansas had already opened the season with two wins over James Madison and VCU and was hoping for a 3-0 start when perennial national-title contender and second-ranked Duke visited Fayetteville.
Arkansas struck first, scoring against the 2015 national champion runner up in the 20th minute after a strike to the back of the net from senior Lindsey Mayo. It, then, doubled that lead on an unassisted goal from Stefani Doyle in the 49th minute.
Duke tried to mount a second half comeback with a goal of its own in the 75th minute, but could not find a second in the waning moments, giving Arkansas one of its biggest wins in school history.
Important Notes
-The attendance of 3,010 fans was the largest in program history and topped the previous high total of 2,337 set in 2015 against TCU.
-Arkansas has produced nine of its top ten crowds since Colby Hale became the head coach in 2012.
-The win was the Razorbacks’ first over a top-ten team since 2012.
-The goal from Stefani Doyle was her fourth in three games to start the year.