Soccer Shuts Out Oklahoma State, 4-0, in NCAA Tournament Opener
FAYETTEVILLE – Fueled by four first-half goals, No. 5 Arkansas cruised to a NCAA Tournament opening round win, 4-0, over Oklahoma State. Razorback Field hosted the largest postseason crowd in its history, with 2,235 fans in the stands on a chilly Friday night.
The Hogs (15-2-2) got off to an early start with forward Kate Doyle scoring the opener just six minutes in. Doyle increased Arkansas’ lead nearly 10 minutes later and notched her third brace of the season. The graduate transfer leads the Razorbacks with 13 goals, the most in a season since Anna Podojil had 16 in 2021.
Freshman Anaiyah Robinson doubled the squad’s lead 16 minutes in with a sneaky near-post finish past Oklahoma State goalkeeper Grace Yochum. Robinson ranks second among SEC freshmen with 11 goals and has the most goals in a season as a freshman since Podojil had 16 in 2019, the four-time All-American’s debut year.
Kiley Dulaney closed the scoring in the 41st minute with her fourth goal of the season via a corner kick from Kelsey Oyler. Dulaney used her shoulder to redirect the ball past Yochum.
Freshman goalkeeper Keegan Smith had a relatively quiet night in goal but made a diving save in the 23rd minute to pick up her 10th solo shutout of the season. Smith and the rest of the defensive third have 12 on the season.
Arkansas finished the match ahead in nearly every statistical category, notably 20-7 in shots and 12-3 in corner kicks.
Up Next
Razorback Field will host the second and third rounds next weekend. Arkansas will face Cal (13-5-2) who defeated 7-seed Pepperdine in the first round. 3-seed Stanford advanced to the second weekend in Fayetteville and it will take on UConn, who beat 6-seed Rutgers on Saturday.
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