Soccer Preview: #20 Arkansas at Kentucky

FAYETTEVILLE – The No. 20-ranked Hogs (7-4-4, 4-1-3 SEC) close out the regular season on Sunday at Kentucky (8-5-3, 4-2-3 SEC).

Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. and the matchup will be televised live on ESPNU with Kylen Mills (play-by-play) and Paddy Foss (analyst) on the call.

ON THE WILDCATS

Kentucky is coming off a big 4-0 win over Ole Miss last Friday and is riding a four-match unbeaten streak into the regular season finale. The Wildcats are led by freshman forward Kyla Dawn with 10 goals, tied for the second most nationally among freshmen this season. Sophomore goalkeeper Megan Holland currently sits in second for total saves in the SEC with 52 saves in 16 appearances.

LAST TIME OUT

Arkansas extended its winning streak to three matches and its unbeaten streak to seven matches after a 3-1 win at Oklahoma on Oct. 23. The Hogs struck first with a penalty kick from Zoe Susi, followed by two goals off corner kicks. The first by Bella Field and the second by Kyndal Ewertz. Arkansas’ three goals tied for its most against an SEC opponent this season. Arkansas defeated Texas 3-1 in the league opener in September. Field and Ewertz scored the Hogs’ sixth and seventh goals off corner kicks this season. The Razorbacks have won four straight against Oklahoma, including every matchup since the Sooners joined the SEC in 2024.

TOUGH SCHEDULE

As of this week’s poll, Arkansas played four ranked teams in the regular season: No. 2 North Carolina (L, 2-0), No. 6 Alabama (L, 2-0), No. 8 Baylor (L, 4-1), and No. 24 Auburn (W, 1-0). The Hogs also faced one other team that was ranked on match day: then-No. 19 Texas (W, 3-1). All three Power-4 non-conference opponents appeared in the NCAA Tournament last season, with Clemson finishing in the second round and UNC and Baylor making it to the Sweet 16. In total, eight of Arkansas’ 2026 opponents appeared in last year’s NCAA Tournament: UNC, Baylor, Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and Kentucky. As of this week’s RPI run, Arkansas owns five top 50 RPI wins, the third most in the SEC behind Vanderbilt (8) and Alabama (7).

KEEPING IT FRIENDLY

The Razorbacks played two preseason exhibitions prior to the first week of games against Kansas City and No. 21 Memphis. Arkansas defeated the Roos, 3-0, and lost to Memphis on the road, 2-0. Returning sophomore Vailana Tu’ua scored a four-minute brace followed by a header from senior Bella Field five minutes later. Arkansas played five matches in the spring and outscored opponents 15-1, including a 2-0 win on the road at TCU, a team that went to the College Cup in 2025. Aniyah Nurse-Whyte led the squad with three goals, followed by Zoe Susi, Natalie Wagner, Vailana Tu’ua and Lauren Van Rhein with two.

HIGH ON THE HOGS

Arkansas entered the first week of matches ranked No. 10 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason top 25. The Hogs received the No. 18 ranking in TopDrawerSoccer’s preseason top 25 and were predicted to finish second in the SEC by the league’s head coaches. Before Week 4, Arkansas had been ranked in every United Soccer Coaches poll since September 13, 2022, 215 weeks ago. In 2024, the Hogs received their first No. 1 ranking in program history and the first for an SEC team since 1998.

SOLID SIGNEES

Arkansas’ 2026 recruiting class finished at No. 30 in TopDrawerSoccer’s combined recruiting class rankings. 2025’s 19th-ranked class was the only time Colby Hale has signed a top 25 class since his tenure began at Arkansas in 2012. Multiple players ranked in the IMG Academy National Top 200: #108 MacKenzie Gwin (#18 in Southern California, #42 Forward), #157 Ivy Harding (#14 in Rocky Mountains & Southwest, #56 Midfielder) and #181 Lauren Van Rhein (#9 in Heartland, #61 Forward).

KEEPER KEEGAN

Arkansas junior goalkeeper Keegan Smith has quickly cemented herself as one of the program’s best after just one season between the pipes. In her debut season in 2024, Smith tied former Razorback Grace Barbara (2022) for the single-season shutout record (11) and finished with the second-lowest goals-against average (.62) behind former Hog and current Racing Louisville FC keeper Katie Lund (.48, 2019). The Bath, New York native shut out seven of Arkansas’ 10 SEC regular season opponents and two of three NCAA Tournament opponents (Oklahoma State and Cal) to lead the Razorbacks back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2022. She allowed just six goals at Razorback Field to help the Hogs to an unbeaten home record of 11-0-2. Keegan was the first freshman goalkeeper in program history to receive All-SEC honors. She finished the 2024 season ranked the No. 3 freshman in the nation and was placed on the Best XI Freshman Team by TopDrawerSoccer. During the offseason, Smith was called up to the U-19 U.S. Women’s National Team training camp in Spain in February of 2025. She was called up a second time in June of 2025, this time for the U-18/19 U.S. YNT combined training camp in Fayetteville, Georgia. Smith picked up her first shutout of 2025 in the 2-0 win over Georgia Southern on August 24. Smith added another clean sheet, her 13th overall, on September 2 at BYU. She tied her career high with 9 saves, including several highlight-reel saves that garnered attention on social media. Smith missed 11 games due to a hip flexor muscle issue and made her return on Nov. 14 for the NCAA Tournament opener against Dartmouth. She recorded three saves and her 14th career shutout. She started in Arkansas’ second round game against 4-seed Washington, a 1-0 loss.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE

Arkansas is unbeaten in 59 of its last 65 matches at Razorback Field, dating back to 2021. The Hogs have gone 52-6-7 at Razorback Field since beating No. 25 BYU on Aug. 30, 2021. Arkansas is also unbeaten in its last 31 SEC home matches, dating back to 2020. The six losses came on November 17, 2023 against Pittsburgh in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, on Aug. 14, 2025 against No. 13 Iowa, Aug. 28, 2025 against No. 3 Duke, on Aug. 12, 2026 against Baylor, on Aug. 20, 2026 against No. 7 North Carolina and on August 27, 2026 against Clemson. The Razorbacks have outscored opponents 220-55 at Razorback Field during this stretch.

FAMILIAR POSITION

This year’s ranking marks the seventh straight season Arkansas has been placed inside the top two of the preseason poll. 1. Vanderbilt 2. Arkansas 3. Georgia 4. LSU 4. Tennessee 6. South Carolina 7. Texas 8. Florida 9. Alabama 10. Oklahoma 11. Auburn 12. Texas A&M 13. Kentucky 13. Mississippi State 15. Ole Miss 16. Missouri.

For more information on Arkansas soccer, follow @RazorbackSoccer on social media.