Boxscore RUSTON, La. ? Arkansas came up with its highest goal output since 2002 as the Lady?Backs downed Louisiana Tech, 6-0, at Joe Aillet Stadium on Friday. It marked the first time that Tech had lost a home opener or a non-conference game at the Joe.
?They played until the end,? Tech coach
Kevin Sherry said. ?How many other players would do that in a 6-0 game? Arkansas was better technically and physically than we were, and that was the difference.
Amy Wolsted,
Ryan Haney and
Leslie Buck were outstanding for us.?
Tech kept the Lady?Backs off the board for the first 20-plus minutes, but the floodgates opened soon thereafter. Two goals by Lindsey Patterson at 24:48 and 28:31 sandwiched a goal by Kelly O?Connor at 26:25 to give Arkansas a 3-0 lead at the break.
The Hogs would strike quickly in the second half as well. Whitney Allison took a cross from Ally Atkins and put it past
Tara Gavlak for the Lady?Backs? fourth goal at 48:26. Kat Moffett then took advantage of a Tech foul deep in its own territory and bent in a free kick from 25 yards to give Arkansas a 5-0 lead.
The Lady?Backs would add one more at the 64:00 mark as Camille Flores sprinted down the far sideline past no fewer than six Tech defenders and put one off the far post from 15 yards, putting the Lady?Backs ahead 6-0.
Several Lady Techsters made their season and/or career debuts in the game. Freshman
Chinaka Springer, a Trinidad native who just arrived in the states, played significant minutes, as did junior team captain
Brittany Davis, who has been bothered by a nagging injury. Walk-on sophomore Allyson Combest made her Tech debut in the second half, and sophomore
Kat McCullough, freshman Ashley Lundberg and senior
Candace Novak all saw the field for the first time this season.
Tech returns to action Sunday as they make the short trek down I-20 to face the school?s longtime rival, Louisiana-Monroe. The game, however, will be the first soccer meeting between the schools. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m.
