Soccer stuns Alabama 5-0
FAYETTEVILLE – Senior Christina Burger scored twice, but it was sophomore Lindsay Patterson’s goal in the sixth minute of the game that proved to be the only offense that the University of Arkansas Lady Razorback soccer team would need on Friday night as they defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide in Fayetteville, 5-0.
The win improves the Lady Razorbacks to 10-4-0 on the season and 3-3-0 in Southeastern Conference play while Alabama falls to 5-10-0 overall and 1-6-0 conference action. Arkansas’ win also guarantees it its first winning season since the 1996 season when it went 11-7-3 and won the SEC’s Western Division with a 4-3-1 conference record.
“This is about as good as I have seen us play since I’ve been here,” Arkansas head coach Gordon Henderson said. “Our speed was magnificent and we finished well. In past games we would not finish our shots like we did tonight and that kept teams in the game. We didn’t let up for 90 minutes that proved to be the difference.”
The Lady Razorbacks came out on fire as the game began and immediately took the momentum. Knocking passes all around the field the Lady’Backs forced the Crimson Tide to chase early on which led to the first score. An Arkansas attack was held up briefly by senior Katie Hamilton who then fed a wonderful ball into the penalty area where Patterson would hit a 10-yard strike into the far upper corner of the net.
For Patterson, her score was her fifth of the season and second game winner in three matches. She posted Arkansas’ game-winning goal against the Georgia Bulldogs last Friday night. Her five goals on the year are a career high.
Burger would tally Arkansas’ next two goals less than six minutes apart in the 26th and 32nd minutes of play. Her first score saw her dribble nearly 40 yards with a defender on her hip, and then take a 17-yard shot over a sprawling goalkeeper to make the match 2-0. Burger’s next score came off a rebound on a shot taken by freshman Kat Moffett. Standing inside the mixer, Moffett blasted a shot off Alabama goalkeeper Kara Gudmens which she was not able to control allowing Burger to strike the ball into an open net.
Burger’s goals are her eighth and ninth of the season, matching her career high for goals and giving her 21 for her career. She now stands fourth in Lady Razorback history for both goals and points in a career.
Arkansas was not done in the first half as they struck again in the 41st minute. This time it was Moffett who scored when she dinked a shot over the Alabama keeper. Charging down the left side, freshman Katie Somadelis passed the ball to Moffett at the corner of the penalty area and as the McKinney, Texas, native charged the goal, Alabama’s keeper came out to challenge. Making the split-second decision, Moffett toed the ball over the charging keeper giving her not chance to make the save.
The Lady Razorbacks would add a fifth goal early in the second half when junior Alison Harter notched her first score of the season in the 50th minute. Freshman Kim Schleif won the ball in the midfield and sent a pass to Harter into space down the left side. Harter would run onto the ball and find herself in a one-on-one situation with the Alabama goalkeeper. A nice shot to the keeper’s right sent the ball into the net.
Arkansas’ decisive win is its most lopsided SEC victory since 1999 when it defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs, 8-0 at Lady’Back Field. In that contest, Arkansas would score five times in the second half to set a record for goals in a half in a conference match.
The Lady Razorbacks are back in action on Sunday afternoon when they face a tough Auburn squad at 1:00 p.m. For more information about Lady Razorback soccer or about Arkansas women’s athletics, please go to LADYBACKS.COM.
