Women upset No. 9 Alabama at home, win at A&M

The 11th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks women’s soccer team upset No. 9 Alabama 5-0 before 3,360 fans Thursday night at Razorback Field, the most ever number of fans to attend a home match.

Then, the Razorbacks defeated Texas A&M 1-0 on Sunday in College Station, Texas.

In the win over Alabama, the Hogs (7-2-1 overall, 3-0-0 in Southeastern Conference play) got off to their strongest start of the season with a flurry of goals in the first 15 minutes of the match. Graduate midfielder Bea Franklin opened the scoring in the fourth minute with her fifth goal of the season on a cross from forward Anna Podojil.

Podojil assisted in the second goal, this time from freshman Avery Wren in the seventh minute. Podojil fired across the 18-yard box and out to Wren who was wide open at the top of the box. Wren booted the ball into the lower left corner of the net for her first collegiate score.

Podojil collected two more points with a goal of her own in the 15th minute. Podojil linked up with her fellow Cincinnatian Morgan White after White crossed it in from the endline to an open Podojil in the middle of the 6-yard box.

Arkansas fired off 14 shots and freshman goalkeeper Phoebe Carver made four saves in the first 45 minutes of her collegiate debut.

White took over the match in the second half and scored two goals for her second brace of the season. Both of her multi-goal matches have been against ranked opponents.

Her first came in the 53rd minute when she used her lightning-fast speed to outrun Alabama’s defense and pull the goalkeeper out of the six-yard box for a lower right corner goal.

The final goal of the match was scored in the 69th minute when a high arching cross intended for Podojil curled just enough to deflect off the far post and into the side netting.

In the road victory over A&M, the Aggies were the aggressor in the first 45 minutes and held the Hogs to just one shot. The Aggies had their fair share of chances to take the lead, including a shot that hit the crossbar, but Arkansas made several key defensive plays to keep it scoreless at the break.

Freshman Avery Wren made the biggest play 10 minutes into the match and headed out a redirection off A&M’s only corner kick of the match. Carver kept busy and made four saves in the third-ever half of her college career.

The Aggies hit the crossbar again in the second half but Arkansas took over the match by earning 15 corners after not recording one in the first 45 minutes.

The Hogs took their 12th corner kick with 16 minutes left to play and though it didn’t yield a goal, Arkansas retained possession until senior Kiley Dulaney crossed the ball into Franklin inside the 6-yard box. Franklin headed Dulaney’s ball down right into the left foot of Kennedy Ball. Ball’s low shot slipped past two Aggie defenders and the goalkeeper for her first collegiate score.

The Razorbacks will travel to Missouri for a 6 p.m. Thursday SEC match in Columbia, Mo.