MONROE, La. – The ULM soccer team (2-2) returns home to face the Little Rock (1-1) at Brown Stadium on Wednesday (Aug. 27) at 6 p.m. The Warhawks are on the hunt for a bounce back at home after a road stretch, while Little Rock searches for their second win on the road.
SCOUTING THE TROJANS –
Little Rock is currently 1-1 on the season, last claiming a 7-0 win at Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Sophomore forward Maggie Turner was named OVC Player of the Week following the match, posting a brace against UAPB. The Trojans also took on East Texas A&M, falling 1-4. The soccer team has not played at home yet, returning to face Central Arkansas after taking on the Warhawks. Little Rock is projected to finish fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference, with four Trojans named to the Preseason All-OVC team. 2024 OVC Goalkeeper of the Year Peyton Urban also makes the return with Little Rock, posting 10 clean sheets and allowing just 17 goals last season.
SPREADING THE WEALTH –
Six different Warhawks have scored each of the eight goals this season and nine have earned points. In the Aug. 14 season opener vs. Southeastern Louisiana, four different ULM players scored a goal. Beth Strutton leads the pack with five points so far, posting two goals and an assist. Fellow captain Skylar Blaise follows closely behind with four points.
SERIES VS. LITTLE ROCK –
This is the 26th meeting between the Trojans and the Warhawks, the first in Monroe since 2021. The first meeting between the two teams was the first season of ULM Soccer in 1999, in which the Warhawks fell to Little Rock, 3-0. Little Rock leads the series with a 17-8 record, but the Warhawks claimed the most recent win, a 1-0 victory last season, breaking a seven-match win streak for the Trojans.
LAST TIME OUT –
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The ULM women's soccer team fell on the road against UAB in a 0-5 match. Two Blazers tallied braces on the night, giving the Warhawks a 1-2 record in their three-match road stretch.
In the first half, opportunities remained even, but the Blazers got early control of the ball. Goalkeeper Jen Handy held on with multiple saves early, but a goal by Avery Berryman in the 26th minute gave UAB the lead. Less than five minutes later, Berryman tacked on another, closing out the half with a 2-0 lead. Handy saved four balls in the first half as the Blazers continued to push, the Warhawks posting two shots.
In the second half, the Warhawks looked for their first goal of the evening, pushing forward with three shots in the final 45 minutes. In the 79th minute, Jette Zimmer posted another goal to extend the lead for the Blazers. ULM continued to fight back, five corners in the second giving opportunities to the Warhawks. In the 83rd minute, Zimmer posted a brace with her second goal of the evening for the 4-0 score. Four minutes later, a penalty kick goal gave UAB its fifth and final goal of the contest.
Vienna Tokam led the squad with two shots off the bench, one on target. Leane Commaret and Stacey Qosja also posted a shot on target against UAB. The Blazers led in shots (15-6) and shots on goal (9-3), while ULM led in saves (4-3) and corners (6-5).
O CAPTAINS OUR CAPTAINS –
ULM Soccer has named three captains this season: forward Skylar Blaise, defender Beth Strutton and defender Libby Holmes. Blaise and Holmes are in their third seasons at ULM, while Strutton is in her second. Blaise, a senior, sits with four points after scoring two goals so far this season. Strutton leads the team with five points, posting two goals and an assist. Holmes is also earning points, collecting three from a goal and an assist.
REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS –
Since Will Roberts arrived as an assistant coach ahead of the 2020-21 season, ULM has put 45 entries in the team single-game Top 10 marks and 19 entries in the single-season Top 5 records lists, including the most points in a single season (146, 53 goals, 40 assists, 2021), goals (53, 2021), shots (383, 2021), goals against average (0.94, 2023) and shutouts (9, 2024).
FOLLOW THE WARHAWKS –
Wednesday's match will have live stats available, while it will not be available on streaming. Links to live stats and video streams for all matches, when available, can be found at ULMWarhawks.com.
LOOKING AHEAD –
ULM returns home for a four-match homestand, first hosting Southern on Thursday (Sept. 4) at 6 p.m., then taking on North Texas on Sunday (Sept. 7) at 1 p.m. for the nonconference finale.
