Soccer Looks To Improve Record, Notch First SEC Win
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — With non-conference games behind them, the Arkansas soccer team enter the thick of SEC play Sunday, starting with an SEC Network broadcast match against Mississippi State at noon on Razorback Field, followed by a road game against Georgia on Friday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m.
| GAME INFORMATION – MISSISSIPPI STATE | ||
|---|---|---|
| MATCHUP | Mississippi State (2-5-1) at Arkansas (4-4-0) | |
| DATE/TIME | Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015 | 12 p.m. CT | |
| VENUE | Razorback Field | Fayetteville, Ark. | |
| HOW TO WATCH | SEC Network | |
| TALENT | Jonathan Yardley (PXP), Shannon McMillan (Analyst) | |
| LIVE STATS | Stat Broadcast | |
| SERIES HISTORY | Arkansas leads, 18-2 | |
| LAST MEETING | Oct. 26, 2014 | Arkansas 3, Mississippi State 0 | |
| SOCIAL MEDIA | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | |
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
With a win over Mississippi State, Arkansas would even up its conference record at 1-1 and improve to 5-4 overall. The Razorbacks have 10 consecutive conference matches leading to the SEC Tournament on Nov. 2.
ARKANSAS QUICK KICKS
• Arkansas and Mississippi State last met in 2014, when the Razorbacks won 3-0 in Starkville, Miss. Lindsey Mayo, Madison Hall, and Alexandra “Sparky” Fischer each scored a goal, while Ashleigh Ellenwood had three assists.
• Erika Miller tallied her team-leading fourth assist of the year on Claire Kelley’s goal vs. Kansas on Thursday.
• The match vs. Mississippi State at noon will be Arkansas’ first of two early afternoon games this season. The other game will be the Razorbacks’ contest against Vanderbilt on Oct. 11 in Nashville, Tenn.
• Arkansas turns the dial up to 11 in the second half, out-scoring and out-shooting opponents 9-4, and 78-36, respectively.
• The Mississippi State match on Sunday will be the Razorbacks’ first broadcasted game on the SEC Network thus far this season.
WHAT ABOUT THE VISITORS?
• After a slow start this season where they dropped their first four games, the Bulldogs have bounced back after a solid 4-0 outing against Nicholls State and have since gone 2-1-1, for an overall record of 2-5-1.
• Mississippi State’s defense have allowed 11 goals overall this season, with two goals allowed in their last four games, averaging only 6.7 shots given up during that span.
• Six Bulldogs have scored goals on the season with freshman Kiley Martens leading the way with three goals.
ATTENDANCE SOARING
• On August 23, 2015, a record crowd of 2,337 witnessed a 1-0 win over TCU at Razorback Field. That broke the previous record of 2,268 set in a 2-1 win over Oklahoma St. on August 24, 2014.
• Following the TCU match, head coach Colby Hale called it “one of the best atmospheres in the country,” while Kelley commented that “the crowd was a game changer for sure.”
• After averaging 981 fans per game in 2013, the Razorbacks attracted 1,359 supporters per contest in 2014. That equals an astounding 38.5-percent increase in average attendance, and catapulted the Razorbacks up to 13th in the country for women’s soccer.
2010-15 Average Attendance
• 2010: 766
• 2011: 904
• 2012: 841
• 2013: 981
• 2014: 1,359
• 2015: 1,351
UP NEXT
The Razorbacks hit the road on two consecutive games as visitors in Athens, Ga. against the Georgia Bulldogs on Sept. 25, and in Lexington, Ky. on Sept. 27 against the Kentucky Wildcats.
