JONESBORO, Ark. (9/29/16) – The Arkansas State women's soccer team has reached the midway point of its Sun Belt Conference soccer schedule and is preparing for a home and road matchup against Appalachian State and Little Rock.
The Red Wolves (2-4-3, 0-3-1 Sun Belt) will host Appalachian State (5-5-2, 0-2-2) Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. and will then take to the road for an in-state matchup at Little Rock (6-6-0, 1-3) Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Admission to Friday's home game is free, with live streaming on AStateRedWolves.com on the Red Wolves Digital Network.
A-State is facing an important juncture in its season after completing its first four conference games with one point as the team fights to secure a spot in the SBC Tournament. The squad currently finds itself on the outside of the final spots, but could make significant strides with positive results this weekend.
Appalachian State is currently one point ahead of A-State, while the Trojans are two points ahead and currently hold the final tournament spot. A pair of victories or a win and a draw this weekend could push the Red Wolves into that spot as the squad makes the final push through league play.
Arkansas State is coming off weekend in which it dropped a pair of matches to South Alabama and Louisiana-Monroe by a decision of 1-0 each. Against the Jaguars, A-State played its best defensive match of the season and held the Sun Belt's top team scoreless until a free kick in the final minutes resulted in the only goal of the match for either side.
“I thought we probably played our best match of the year,” A-State head coach Brian Dooley said after the match. “We came out with a fire and energy and I think our scheme really bothered them. It really showed what we can do, we just have to work on now getting that same type effort into the offensive end and creating good scoring chances.”
The Red Wolves defense has been spectacular throughout the season and has been led by sophomore goalkeeper Kelsey Ponder. The St. Louis, Mo., native ranks fourth in the NCAA with 72 saves on the year, while as a team A-State ranks 15th with an average of 7.6 saves per game.
Appalachian State is coming off a weekend in which it played a pair of double-overtime games on its home pitch that resulted in a 1-1 tie with Texas State and a scoreless draw with Georgia State. The Mountaineers have yet to notch a mark in the win column during conference play, but do hold a one point advantage over the Red Wolves thanks to their two ties.
The Trojans currently sit in eighth place in the league with a victory over Louisiana-Lafayette during the first weekend of conference play. Most recently Little Rock dropped a 1-0 decision to South Alabama, but will not play a match Friday before hosting the Red Wolves Sunday afternoon.
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.
