JONESBORO, Ark. – The Warhawks (6-2-1, 1-0-1 Sun Belt) will hit the road for the team's first conference road trip, facing Arkansas State (2-1-4, 0-0-2 Sun Belt) on Sunday (Sept. 21) at 1 p.m. The Warhawks look to translate their home success on the road, while Arkansas State looks to capture their first Sun Belt win.
SCOUTING THE RED WOLVES –
Arkansas State is currently 2-1-4 on the season, holding a 0-0 draw against Troy and a 1-1 draw against the Ragin' Cajuns to start Sun Belt competition. The Red Wolves have claimed wins over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Arkansas State currently leads the Sun Belt in shot average (20.17) and assists per game (3.2), ranking ninth and eighth nationally.
Kennedy Horn leads the conference in points (15), also tying for the top spot with seven goals. The Red Wolves were selected to finish 13th in the Sun Belt.
SPREADING THE WEALTH –
Nine different Warhawks have scored each of the 18 goals this season and 14 have earned points. In the Aug. 14 season opener vs. Southeastern Louisiana, four different ULM players scored a goal. In the Aug. 27 match against Little Rock, four Warhawks claimed points from assists.
Skylar Blaise leads the pack with 11 points so far, posting five goals and an assist.
SET PIECES –
The Warhawks have been known to capitalize off set pieces this season, with nine of the team's 18 goals coming off set pieces. ULM also ranks first in the Sun Belt and 24th nationally in corner kicks, averaging 6.9 per game as they look for more scoring opportunities.
O CAPTAINS OUR CAPTAINS –
ULM Soccer has named three captains this season: forward
Skylar Blaise, defender
Beth Strutton and defender
Libby Holmes. Blaise, Strutton and Holmes are the top three leaders in points this season, with the captains collecting 11, six and seven points, respectively.
SERIES VS. ARKANSAS STATE –
This is the 24th meeting between the Red Wolves and the Warhawks, Arkansas State leading ther series, 15-6-2. The first meeting between the two teams was in 2001, where Arkansas State took a 2-0 victory in Jonesboro. Starting in 2006, the two teams became conference opponents, playing each year. ULM has claimed one victory at Arkansas State, a 1-0 score in 2016. The Warhawks have not been defeated by the Red Wolves in recent years, however, a streak dating back to 2021. Most recently, ULM claimed a 2-0 victory at Brown Stadium in 2024.
LAST TIME OUT –
MONROE, La. – The ULM soccer team recorded its first Sun Belt win of the season against Marshall. After an early 2-2 tie in the first half, a tiebreaker was settled by the Warhawks for the 3-2 victory.
The Thundering Herd powered through the ULM defense in the early minutes, as Luiza Travassos posted a goal in the fourth minute of the contest, assisted by Kajsa Ekstrom. With Marshall ahead early, they carried momentum into a second goal in the sixth minute.
Down two scores early, ULM finally got the pendulum to swing in its direction, with a 38
th minute goal by
Margret Edda Bjarnadottir, assisted by
Skylar Blaise. Less than a minute later, Blaise claimed a goal of her own, an unassisted score in the 39
th minute to tie things up at the half, 2-2.
After a high-scoring first half, both teams were on the hunt for the game winner in the second. While the Warhawks maintained control to push ahead, they were unable to convert shots into goals as the minutes dragged on.
In the 86
th minute, a shot finally broke through from Bjarnadottir's corner kick, with
Libby Holmes claiming the game winner for ULM. With the Herd unable to score the equalizer, the Warhawks concluded their four-match homestand with a win.
Bjarnadottir scored her first goal as a Warhawk, Blaise notched her fifth of the season and Holmes scored her third, as well as her first career game-winning goal. Bjarnadottir also moves into sixth place in the record books with her sixth assist of the season.
FOLLOW THE WARHAWKS –
Sunday's match will be available for streaming on ESPN+. Live stats for the matches will also be available. Links to live stats and video streams for all matches, when available, can be found at ULMWarhawks.com.
LOOKING AHEAD –
ULM will travel east on its road trip, taking on Coastal Carolina on Friday (Sept. 26). Kickoff in Conway, S.C. is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET.
