JONESBORO, Ark. (9/22/16) – The Arkansas State women's soccer team will return the field for a pair of Sun Belt Conference matchups Friday and Sunday afternoon at the A-State Soccer Park.
The Red Wolves (2-3-3, 0-1-1) will host reigning league champions South Alabama (6-2-1, 1-0-0) Friday afternoon at 3 p.m., while Sunday's contest will feature a clash with Louisiana-Monroe (4-4-1, 1-0-1) at 1 p.m. Admission to both games is free, with live streaming of both matches will be provided at no cost on the Red Wolves Digital Network on AStateRedWolves.com.
Arkansas State is coming off its first weekend of conference play in which it opened with matches on the road against Coastal Carolina and Troy. The squad emerged with a 0-1-1 record thanks to a superior performance from its defensive unit against Troy.
The Red Wolves gave up 25 shots to the Trojans, but just one goal as sophomore goalkeeper Kelsey Ponder made nine saves. In addition the back unit combination of Mykel Ward, Briana Williams and Amy Andrea helped Ponder withstand every charge with strong pacing and chase to limit the one on one opportunities Troy had.
A-State fell behind early in the second half against the, but continued to press offensively and scored off a rebound opportunity on a corner kick allowed Jacqueline Greer to notch her first goal of the season in the 64th minute. Abby Harris gave the Red Wolves a chance at winning the game in the second overtime when her shot nearly cleared the goalkeeper, but it was deflected before reaching the endline to ensure the match ended in a draw.
Ponder has continued her strong start to the season and has made 63 saves on the year, which ranks as the fifth most in all of NCAA Division I. She also ranks ninth in the nation with a 7.88 saves per game average and is 44th with a .851 save percentage. Her 112 career saves rank as the eighth most in school history as she continues to climb the record books in several statistical categories.
Friday's outing against South Alabama will be the 18th in series between the schools, which has largely been dominated by the Jaguars who hold a 12-2-3 all-time advantage. South Alabama opened Sun Belt Conference play with a 5-0 victory over Georgia Southern. And earned the school's and Sun Belt's more impressive victory of the year with a 1-0 win over then-ranked No. 1 Florida State back on Sept. 5.
UL Monroe has compiled victories on the season, including a victory over Little Rock in the opening weekend of league play. The Red Wolves have all-time record of 10-1-1 against the Warhawks including seven straight victories.
For the latest on information on the A-State women's soccer team, log onto AStateRedWolves.com or follow the team's Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateSoccer and follow them on Twitter @AStateSoccer.
