Arkansas Fight: All Posts by Porter Hayes

Softball: Arkansas Razorbacks newest rivalry

2023-04-14T19:59:03-05:00

UCA softball has emerged has the first true in state rival for Arkansas.

Back in 2019 when Hunter Yurachek decided that Arkansas could start scheduling in state opponents you took a look at all the schools that the Razorbacks would start playing in various sports. The first one that brought the most attention to the fans was Arkansas State in football since the Red Wolves in the past was having a successful program during the downfall years of Arkansas football program. Little Rock baseball defeated Arkansas in the very first meeting 17-7 but the flare and the excitement has never really been there. Arkansas and Little Rock have had some really exciting games in both men’s and women’s basketball but the series between Arkansas and UCA in softball has brought everything to the table that a blooming rivalry can bring.

The attendance has been exceptional from the start and the most recent game, where UCA bested Arkansas for the second time this season, was the second highest attendance for any sporting event this year (1st Home football game). Arkansas leads the overall series 4-2 but with the rise of UCA’s softball program and the status of the Razorbacks program this could be the best thing for both teams and for the game of softball in the state.

With the level of recruiting Arkansas has been able to achieve landing the top class for 2023 that has opened the doors for teams like UCA, Arkansas Tech, and SAU to load up on the states top talent, which has exploded over the last 5 years and the emergence of the Razorbacks squad to the top of the SEC has had a lot to do with that. UCA has been able to capitalize in Coach Parsons second year as the head coach with the likes of Tremere Harris, Kylie Griffin, and Jenna Wildeman. All highly touted Arkansas kids.

UCA started raising some eyebrows last season when they split a 2 game series with LSU winning the first game 3-2 and losing a close game 2-1 the next day. Arkansas won both meetings last year making it three games in a row where the outcome was two runs or less. The Bears went on to finish the season 37-21 (17-7 ASUN) with some big D-1 wins over Kansas, Virginia, Mississippi State, and Georgia Tech. Meanwhile Arkansas went on to win the SEC regular season and the tournament and hosting their second straight Super Regional falling one game short of OKC.

Coming into this season we all knew UCA was going to play Arkansas tough and the program was on the rise. Coach Deifel had previously stated that she wouldn’t be surprised if UCA took a game from the Razorbacks and thats exactly what happend. UCA out dueled the Razorbacks 2-1 in Fayetteville giving the Bears their first win over Arkansas and set up a huge rematch in Conway. With the momentum shifting towards UCA most knew it would be another slugfest but no one could have seen a 4-0 shutout win over Arkansas and potentially launching them into the latest top 25 rankings.

Arkansas has a young but very talented team this year and is in a rebuilding phase after losing a lot of senior leadership and the first wave that Coach Deifel had at Arkansas. They signed the top recruiting class and is showing no signs of slowing down. The Arkansas athletic program hasn’t had an in state program that could could compete with them on a regular basis being the only major university. You look at all the other schools in the SEC outside of Missouri that have an in state rival. With the game of softball and the talent in Arkansas growing the timing for this series couldn’t have been any more perfect and if this series between Arkansas and UCA keeps on the path its going this could be the rivalry we have all been waiting for. Growing the game of softball and the interest in women’s sports in general is a good thing for both teams.

PREVIEW: Gymbacks ready for huge season

2023-01-04T20:38:49-06:00

Arkansas opens the 2023 season on the road against Nebraska

Fayetteville, Ark. — Year four is underway for Arkansas Gymnastics Head Coach Jordyn Wieber who comes into 2023 with the 15th ranked team in the nation according to the WCGA Preseason Poll. This makes it 17 consecutive seasons in which the Gymbacks have been placed in the preseason top 20. Last season the Razorbacks finished in the Sweet 16, the teams 18th straight regional appearance and the second consecutive regional final.

Arkansas brings back key returners, including five-time All-American Kennedy Hambrick, who decided to come back for her 5th year. Also returning to the squad is Graduate Bailey Lovett and Leah Smith. The biggest addition to this years team is transfer from UCLA Norah Flatley, a three time All-American and the 2022 College Gym Comeback Gymnast of the Year. Both Flatley and Hambrick competed at the NCAA Gymnastic Championships as individual all-around qualifiers.

The Razorbacks also add four Freshman to this years squad in Reese Drotar, Jaime Pratt, Cally and Lauren Williams. Williams, who trained at Aspire Gymnastics in Bentonville, Ark., is the program’s first in-state recruit in over 10 years. Coach Wieber said in Wednesday’s media availability that there were some Freshman that would have an immediate impact and find their way into the rotation this weekend in Lincoln.

This will be the first time these two teams have faced off since 2014. Their ninth meeting overall. Arkansas has 10 regular season meets on deck for 2023, which includes five at home. Three will take place at Barnhill Arena, and two are set for Bud Walton Arena. Last season, the Gymbacks made history with the first-ever gymnastics meet at the venue against Auburn on. Jan 14, and a new single-meet attendance record was set with 10,345 fans in the building. There are hopes that Coach Wieber keeps this program on the upward trajectory and eventually all the home meets will be inside Bud Walton Arena.

Along with changes within the roster Coach Wieber promoted volunteer assistant Kyla Ross to assistant coach. Wieber and Ross competed together as part of the Fierce Five, who won the United States’ first-ever women’s gymnastics gold medal on foreign soil nearly 10 years ago on July 31, 2025 in London. During her four seasons at UCLA, Ross won four individual NCAA titles, one on each event, and the 2018 team title with the Bruins. She is one of just 12 gymnasts to record a Gym Slam – a perfect 10 on each event – and is one of only two to record two Gym Slams in their careers. She was also the first-ever women’s gymnast to own Olympic, world, and NCAA titles.

If you want a chance to see the Gymbacks in action there are still single meet as well as season tickets available. Season tickets are $25 each and you can get single meet tickets in advance for $5 for adults and $3 for children. You can also get the tickets at the gate for $10 for adults and $8 for children. This will be an electric year for the Gymbacks and they would love the support from the fans to pack Barnhill and Bud Walton Arena this year.

Arkansas Razorback Womens Basketball begin fall camp

2022-09-28T08:00:00-05:00

Coach Mike Neighbors

Coach Mike Neighbors enters his sixth season as the head coach at Arkansas and this season he has a short but loaded roster this season with four returning starters. Coach Neighbors said in todays press conference that he felt his team has peaked too soon in previous years so he wanted to give them a couple extra weeks to get situated before they started camp.

Senior Makayla Daniels has started all but four games in her career at Arkansas. She will run the offense at point guard.

Coach Neighbors likes to call her a points guard because she can give you buckets on any given night.

“You’re not going to see anything new with Mak,” said Neigbors. “The ownership and the voice she talked about. She’s always been a reluctant talker, a lot of times she had a dominant personality in the room. I would anticipate seeing a kid who’s not looking over the sideline for a play. She’s going to be calling her own plays a lot.”

Alongside Daniels you have the reigning SEC Freshman Player of the Year, Samara Spencer. Spencer, a sophomore from Ft. Lauderdale, (Fla.) avergaged 12.2 points per game and started in 27 games. She had to step up last year when Daniels went out and that includes a season high 22 points against Missouri on the road.

Down low you have Jersey Wolfenbarger who will have a huge impact on rebounds and second chance points. Wolfenbarger, who played in 30 games last season, starting 23, earned herself SEC All-Freshman team and averaged 7.2 pts and 4.3 boards per game. Having more depth inside this season will allow her to be more of a stretch 4 or even sometimes at the 3 spot depending on the lineup.

Erynn Barnum comes into her Senior year played a key role in the starting rotation last year. Barnum was averaging a double-double before being set back due to injury. She adds depth and length to this roster and has really grown her confidence on the court the last three seasons and will be pushed by Dauda but will make both players better.

Arkansas had two transfers who sat out last year one due to injury and one to eligibility (mid season transfer). Maryam Dauda, the Baylor transfer, is from Bentonville. She out all last season with an injury but comes back home to Arkansas. Dauda will give the Razorbacks a huge spark inside not only with rebounding but will also be a scoring threat.

“[Dauda] will be a problem,” said Neigbors.

The other transfer, Saylor Poffenbaefer, came in from UCONN. The 6-2 redshirt freshman transfered in mid-season but saw action in 12 games there before coming to Arkansas.

Neighbors polled the team and they all stated that they felt like they just needed one more piece to the team and they got that in 6-1 Chrissy Carr. Carr a 6-1 senior guard from Syracuse started in all 29 games and averaged 11.7 points per game. Carr said she has learned just as much from Makayla as she has been able to help the team in her transition to Arkansas.

“It took a little bit to get used to the terminology here,” said Carr. “They were speaking in a different language.”

Arkansas returns two key role players on the defensive side of the ball in Emrie Ellis and Rylee Langerman. Both stepped up big when they were called upon. Ellis is improving her offensive game and is already gaining more confidence in her shooting ability. Coach was asked if she grew in the offseason and he said she just walks around with confidence and her shoulders back which helps her thrive when she is on the court.

Langerman is that dog that will claw and fight for every loose ball and rebound. The 5-9 junior from Norman, Okla. played a huge role in the rotation last season. She is the “glue girl”. As much as she impacted the team on the court her smile and personality off the court is even brighter. No matter what she does she always has a smile on her face and gives it her all.

This team coming off back to back first round exits but have assembled an exceptional group of talent to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. Getting all the restrictions of COVID behind them they are looking to make some serious noise not only in the SEC but becoming a household name in the nation.

Arkansas tops Auburn 1-0

2022-09-23T08:13:59-05:00

Arkansas has won 9 straight over the Tigers.

Fayetteville-

Arkansas secured its ninth straight win over Auburn on a Jessica De Fillipo goal in the 55’ giving Arkansas the 1-0 win in front of 1,458 fans at Razorback field. The victory tonight also makes it 14 in a row in Fayetteville dating back to 2020 when South Carolina topped Arkansas 2-1.

Arkansas outshot the Tigers 21-6 in which De Filippo had a team high 8 shots on goal. De Filippo said about tonights performance. “ We always want to win on home soil. So we are really happy that we came out strong. I think there is more in us and we want to show the SEC that we are ready to play.”

Coming off an injury that set Jessica out most of last year, the Senior from Canada has scored 4 goals so far this season which Coach Hale eluded prior to the start of the season that her and Ellie Podijil would be a huge help to this young roster.

Coach Hale said on the win “I thought our forwards were a lot more active especially in the second half. Moving Jess (De Filippo) to attack and mid made a huge impact on the game. We only scored one goal. We need to score more goals but overall the offensive production was better.” At halftime he spoke on the pace of the game “We are driving a Ferrari 40 mph. Time to step on the gas and i thought the second half was better.”

Coach went on to talk about the teams depth being tested so early on in the season. “We have right, and we need to continue to see those kids step it up”

Anna Podojil set the new all-time points record at Arkansas with 108 surpassing Parker Goins mark of 107. Hale on her record. “ She’s still got a year and half left and its a record that might never be broke,”

With the victory Arkansas moves to 6-2-1 overall and 1-1 in SEC play. Up next Arkansas will travel to Columbia, South Carolina to take on the No. 8 Gamecocks on Sunday. Carolina is coming off a 1-0 win over Georgia . Match will start at 1:00 p.m. and can be seen on SEC Network+

Next Program UP - Arkansas Volleyball

2022-09-19T11:10:52-05:00

Arkansas Volleyball is ranked and on the rise after their second top 10 win this year.

When it comes to the Women’s programs at the University of Arkansas there is so many success stories you could choose from. You have Lance Harter and the Track and Field program with 6 total National Championships. Then in golf you Shauna Taylor who has coached two individual national champions. Colby Hale and the Arkansas Soccer team has won back to back to back SEC Championships and Courtney Deifel and Arkansas softball has won back to back SEC titles and their first ever SEC Tournament Championship. The job that Coach Mike Neighbors has done to bring the basketball team from last place in the SEC to one of the top programs in the conference. Gymnastics with Coach Wieber and Tennis with Christina Quintinar. Most of these programs at some point have been at the very bottom of the SEC and where these programs are now and the progress each one has made in building them into competitive and respective programs not only in the SEC but in the Nation. That brings us to the next program. The Arkansas Volleyball team under Coach Jason Watson.

When Coach Watson arrived in Fayetteville the volleyball team went 9-21 overall and 7-11 in conference play. in the 17-18 year he had some success going 19-11 but the next couple years took a dip not reaching .500 for the next two seasons. His roster started to change and he started recruiting players like Graduate Seniors Hailey Dirrigl and Gracie Ryan. The next year he was able to get Jill Gillen and Maggie Cartwright. After that they had another key piece with Taylor Head. Arkansas was on a roll playing strictly SEC play and was 14-8 riding a 3 game winning streak heading into the series with Auburn when COVID shut down the sports world. Forever lives would be changed but for the athletes an extra year was awarded to those and that leads us to where we are now. After going 20-11 and accepting their first post season bid under Watson the program was on the rise and coming into this season they had the depth to make some noise taking defending National Champs Kentucky to 5 sets before falling 3-2.

To open the season this year Arkansas hosted its first top 10 team opening night in program history and going into the match Watson was fearful he hadn’t given his team much time to prepare but that didn’t matter. Arkansas welcomed the Huskies on Aug 26th and took them down in 4 sets 3-1. Even thought they split the series it was a milestone win for the program and it wouldnt stop there. Just this past week No 7 Georgia Tech came into Barnhill Arena for the Arkansas Challenge and the team knew it would be a tall task coming off 6 straight match sweeps to beat the Yellowjackets but in the same fashion pulled off their second top 10 upset of the year 3-1. Then the following night capped off the Challenge with another 3-1 win over NC State.

Arkansas now gets ready for SEC play starting at LSU on Wednesday and even thought the conference slate hasnt started yet you cant help but look back at where they have came from and all the other Womens programs at Arkansas. Athletes like Shaffer,Hambrick,Lovett. Fassi, Lopez and Matthews. Dungee, Monk, Ramirez and Tolefree. Goins, Podojil,Malham. Gibson, Malkin, McEwen, and Haff. All of these names mentioned have set the foundation for their respected programs and soon you will remember Gillen, Head, Cartwright, Dirrigl, and Ryan. These are the last names of the volleyball team that has set the foundation for Coach Watson and the future. This is the next program up.

No. 24 Arkansas takes down No.7 Georgia Tech in the Arkansas Challenge

2022-09-17T10:18:49-05:00

Arkansas’ second top ten win this season.

Arkansas hosted the Arkansas Challenge this week with ACC foes GeorgiaTech and NC State going 2-0 defeating both opponents in four sets 3-1.

The Razorbacks notched their second top ten opponent of the season and wanted to prove the win over Washington wasn’t a fluke and they did not disappoint with a 3-1 win over No. 7 Georgia Tech. This was the first ranked win over another ranked team in over 20 years. Arkansas then followed up the performance with another 3-1 win over NC State.

The Razorbacks coming into Thursday’s matchup against the Yellowjackets were riding a six game sweep streak and knew it would be a tall task to win the match much less sweep, but Arkansas came in on a mission and behind the efforts of Jill Gillen and Hailey Dirrigl took down No. 7 Georgia Tech in four sets ending their sweep streak.

Gillen lead the team with 18 kills and 12 digs giving Jill her first double double of the year. Dirrigl added 12 kills and had a .423 hit percentage leading the team in that category. Arkansas had four key blocks and Hannah Hogue led the team with 18 digs.

Arkansas set the tone early in set one taking a 10 point lead 20-10 and Tech couldnt get any closer than seven and Arkansas took the first set 25-16. The second set was a back n forth battle but Tech went on a 6-1 run and pushed the lead to 12-7 Arkansas couldnt get the lead back giving them the set 25-23. Arkansas quickly took back the mometum with a 4-1 run but the Yellowjackets sent on a run of their own taking a 15-12 lead. Taylor Head led the charge of four straight kills to give Arkansas a 21-19 lead and went on to win the set 25-22 after a Cartwright set point. The final set of the match the Razorbacks werent going to be denied as they raced out to a 20-11 lead and staved off a huge Tech run to win 25-20.

Coach Watson after the game (credit Paul Boyd) “Its been nice. T (Taylor) has been carrying us a little bit. I thought Jill was very good tonight and I thought Maggie and Hailey Dirrigl was unbelievable. She had to take some big swings against 17 (Bergman) who is a really, really good volleyball player. We had to run points when she was in the back row knowing they were going to run points when she was in the front. it became a little bit of a rotation deal. I thought we gave ourselves a lead in the fourth but when she came back we gave up some points because she’s just that good. I thought the gap was just too big that we could hang on there.”

Watson went on to say “ Im happy for the kids who have been in this program for a long time. They’ve weathered the some storms and had to go through some stuff and kept coming back and playing and I’m so proud of them. I think what we can take is it’s another significant win. We’re just going to keep talking about significant wins, significant wins, significant wins because that’s what was hammered over us last year”

After another 3-1 win over NC State on Friday evening Arkansas gets ready for SEC play as they go on the road Wednesday to play LSU before coming back to Barnhill on Saturday to face Ole miss. The Razorbacks move to 9-1 on the season and look to keep climbing in the rankings next week.

Arkansas Volleyball hosts #7 Georgia Tech

2022-09-15T10:21:42-05:00

Arkansas also hosts NC State as part of the Arkansas Challenge

On Thursday Arkansas is looking to extend their sweep streak to 7 matches and get another top ten win this season when they host 7th ranked Georgia Tech in Barnhill Arena. Arkansas, who defeated Washington Huskies back on Aug 26th, is looking for the upset over Georgia Tech whose lone loss on the season is to 5th ranked Ohio State.

Thursday will be a tall task as the Razorbacks are winless against Tech all time (0-7). Arkansas is coming in to Thursday’s match ranked at no. 24. This makes the first time since 2015 that the team has made the top 25. This also makes it the first time for coach Jason Watson has been ranked in his time at Arkansas.

When talking to coach Watson on Wednesday he credited the hiring of assistant coach Dave Gantt for their success on the defensive side of the ball and especially with their blocking which the team as a whole has vastly improved. Coach Watson also stated that the team in playing a lot more poised and the cohesion has led to the recent streak of sweeps.

Georgia Tech comes into the match with a 6-1 record and they are led by two time 1st team All-American Julia Bergman who leads the nation in kills per set (5.54) and points per set (6.33). Alongside Bergman is outside hitter Bianca Bertolino. The 6-0 sophomore from Argentina has played on the Argentina National Team in the World Championships. Bertolino is averaging 3.37 digs per set which leads the team.

Arkansas is looking to ride the momentum and with the team having a mixed practice instead of running 1s vs 2s Coach Watson is hoping that the strategy is helping his team depth and players rotating in there isn’t a drop off during substitutions. Watson praised the efforts of Abigail Archibong and Tatum Shipes that has really helped Arkansas throught thi first 8 games.

On Friday Arkansas will take on NC State. Arkansas won the last meeting in 2021 (3-0) part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. Arkasnas will also host the matchup between NC State and Georgia Tech today at 3:00 p.m. Tickets for the event are only $5 for fans 17 and older.

Arkansas sweeps the Buffaloes in Barnhill

2022-09-12T08:58:58-05:00

Arkansas gets their 6th straight sweep.

Arkansas entered todays matchup against Colorado having matched their sweep streak set back in 2001 and they added to that today with a dominating 3-0 win to finish up the Arkansas Invite.

Starting things off in the Arkansas Invite the Razorbacks defeated Little Rock 25-18|25-8|25-14 then went on to defeat FIU in straight sets 25-18|25-21|25-22 which set up Sundays match with Colorado in Barnhill Arena. Colorado came in todays game having won the last 14 straight sets but Arkansas had the brooms ready handing the Buffaloes their first loss of the season.

Coach Watson on the teams performance “ Really strong performance this weekend. Collectively, proud of the team effort. We played really clean today, had a difficult time finding points against a great Colorado team.”

“I feel we are in a good place heading into an equally difficult non-conference matches. Looking forward to playing at home Thursday and Friday.”

Those two non-conference matches are against fifth ranked Georgia Tech on Thursday then they turn around and play NC State on Friday. Arkansas played Georgia Tech last season in the SEC/ACC Challenge falling 3-0. Meanwhile NC State is coming off a 3-0 win over TCU this past Friday.

Taylor Head had a day for Arkansas with another double double (13kills and 10 digs) and Sophomore setter had a double double as well recording 24 assists and 14 digs. Maggie Cartwright had a huge game on both sides of the ball today. The Senior had 5 big blocks and 9 kills. Tatum Shipes and Abigail Archibong got in on the block party with 5 for Tatum and Archibong added 6.

The top 5 matchup with be Thursday in the Arkansas Challenge at 7 p.m. and Friday’s game against NC State will start at the same time. Arkansas moves to 7-1 on the season with this being the last non-conference games before SEC play begins on Sept. 21st at LSU.

Arkansas Volleyball goes 3-0 in Colorado

2022-09-07T13:12:11-05:00

Arkansas celebrates after their 3-0 win over Colorado State. | Arkansas Athletics

Arkansas didn’t drop a single set in their three wins.

Arkansas headed out west for a three game road trip in Fort Collins and they came away with three wins in as many games as Arkansas didn’t drop a single set in Colorado.

Game one was against the host team Colorado State on Thursday where they were taken to extra points in the first set which they came out on top 29-27 after an ace by Courtney Jackson and finished off by a kill by Senior Jill Gillen. After that first set it was total domination by Arkansas as they went on to outscore Colorado State by a combined 50-27 in the next two sets to win 3-0. Gillen lead the team with 14 kills and also had 8 digs on the night. Taylor Head recorded another double double finishing with 12 digs and 11 kills. Graduate Tatum Shipes had six blocks and senior Maggie Cartwright also had six block assists. The Hogs had 12 blocks total on the night. Shipes also added four kills.

In game two for the Hogs was Alabama State which the Hogs handled 3-0 and one of their best outings of the season. Breaking new team records in hit percentage and not having one player with more than one error in the match set the tone as they won 25-13,25-10, and 25-15. Gillen led the way for Arkansas with a career high hit percentage of .714 and also had 9 kills and 0 errors. Maggie Cartwright had 9 kills and 0 errors as well. Arkansas got to see some new faces on the rotation as Zoi Evans, Jada Lawson and Rosana Hicks got in on the fun and had a combined 5 kills, 3 blocks, and 3 block assists.

The final game of the weekend had Arkansas matched up against Florida Gulf Coast and it was third verse same as the first with Arkansas winning in 3 sets 25-14, 25-17, and 25-23. Cartwright led the way this time around with 11 kills and 4 digs. Hannah Hogue recorded a double double with 19 assists and 13 digs. The Sophomore from Fort Smith Southside also had 3 aces in the match.

Jill Gillen made history against FGCU moving into the top ten in career kills. Gillen has a total of 1,276 and the first time a player has cracked the top ten in the last ten seasons. Along with the kills she also had 4 aces and 8 digs on the day.

Up next Arkansas welcomes Little Rock, Florida International and Colorado to Barnhill Arena next weekend for the Arkansas Invitational. The Hogs take on UALR on Friday, Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. and FIU at 7:30 p.m., and resume action with Colorado on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 1 p.m.

Arkansas Defeat Red Wolves, 4-1

2022-08-29T07:49:11-05:00

Arkansas improves to 2-1 on the season

Fayetteville -

Arkansas took a 2-0 lead into halftime then added two quick goals in the second half to defeat in-state foe Arkansas State, 4-1 on Sunday in front of a sell out crowd of an announced of 1,578 fans who packed Razorback Field.

Scoring got started in the 23rd minute when Arkansas was rewarded a PK after Sophia Aragon was fouled inside the box. Anna Podojil puts her first goal of the season in the back of the net passed Arkansas State goalie Damaris Deschaine. With that goal Anna moves to third all time in program history tied with Ruthie Miller.

Right before the half Shana Flynn scored her first collegiate goal when she snuck one off the bottom left post giving Arkansas a 2-0 lead going into the half.

In the 57th minute Ava Tankersley took a corner kick and delivered a shot off her head into the back of the net which put the Razorbacks up 3-0. Eleven minutes later Arkansas got an own goal by Arkansas State and gave them their final goal of the day.

Arkansas State avoided the shut out with a goal in the 89th minute when Sydoney Clark took the assist from Summitt Dann and put it past Arkansas goalie Sierra Cota-Yarde.

Arkansas outshot the Red Wolves 29-6 in the match and held the possession margin at 65% to Arkansas State’s 35%.

After the game Coach Colby Hale said “As always, we will watch the video and find some things we did well and take confidence from those. There will be some areas we need to clean up as we prepare for Thursday.’ Ava Tankersley said of the teams play “ During our practice this week it was crucial not to interfere with the goalie, but kind of get in her way a little bit. If I pressed up too much then they would call a foul, so I just kind of did what I did in practice and just jumped to make it hard for her. And it paid off because I hit it and went in.” Tankersley went on to add “We scored two goals right off the bat; one was a set -piece goal and then one was hard running in the box. “And we got a lucky deflection into the net. I definitely think we picked it up in the second half.

Up next for Arkansas they will play Western Michigan on Thursday followed by Michigan a week from today. Both games will be at home.

All quotes are credited to Ethan Westerman of Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette .