Arkansas begins quest for first SEC soccer tournament title in Orange Beach

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — The 24th-ranked Razorback soccer team begins its quest for its first SEC Tournament title on Tuesday when it takes on fifth-seeded Ole Miss in the tournament quarterfinals at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.

First kick is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on the SEC Network.

Arkansas enters the tournament with an 11-4-3 overall record with six of its wins coming in conference play. It’s the sixth appearance in the conference tournament in seven years under head coach Colby Hale.

Match 19 Info
Opponent: Ole Miss Rebels (SEC Tournament Quarterfinals)
Date: Monday, Oct. 30^th
First Kick: 7:30 p.m.
Live Stats: http://bit.ly/2AzXyKi 
TV: SEC Network

The Razorbacks (11-4-3, 6-3-1 SEC) were able to secure the four-seed in the tournament after finishing tied for third in the league at the end of the regular season.

Ole Miss (12-6-1, 6-3-1 SEC) earned the five-seed in the tournament after knocking off regular-season champion Vanderbilt on the season’s final day.

This will be the second-straight year that Arkansas has opened the SEC Tournament against the Rebels and it’s the second time the two teams have faced off this season.

If Arkansas advances past the Rebels, it will face the winner of top-seed Vanderbilt and eight-seed Florida, which advanced past nine-seed Auburn on penalty kicks on Sunday.

Arkansas enters the tournament after a regular season filled with results against top-25 opponents coupled with an unbeaten record in Fayetteville.

The Razorbacks earned draws against No. 9 West Virginia and No. 25 Mississippi State, while also defeating No. 2 Texas A&M and No. 21 Auburn. Those four results this year is more than any other team in the SEC.

Even though this week’s slate of matches won’t be inside the friendly confines of Razorback Field, Arkansas has been tough to beat in Orange Beach over the last two seasons.

The Razorbacks have reached the SEC Tournament final in each of the last two years and are coming off a spectacular run one year ago that saw them become the lowest-seeded team to ever reach a tournament final.

Juniors Kayla McKeon and Tori Cannata continue to lead the squad offensively as both are tied for the team lead in goals (7) and points (16). Tuesday’s match will be the first for Cannata after she was named to the All-SEC Second Team.

It’s her first postseason honor in her career as she is the only player on the team with two or more multi-goal games.

Junior Stefani Doyle was also named to the All-SEC Second Team and sophomore Haley VanFossen represented the Razorbacks on the All-SEC First Team.

Doyle is the fourth Razorback ever to be named to an All-SEC team and the SEC All-Freshman team in a career.

VanFossen is in the midst of one of the best seasons for a Razorback defender as she has been crucial to Arkansas’ six clean sheets this year and has been a part of 16 shutouts in her career.

She’s played 90 or more minutes 12 times this year and has helped limit opponents to an average of 5.6 shots on goal per game.

Quick Kicks

• Arkansas secured the four-seed of the SEC Tournament after going 6-3-1 in the SEC. It’s the second-highest finish for the Razorbacks in program history and they will face five-seed Ole Miss in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

• This will be the second time Arkansas has faced Ole Miss this season, the last match coming on Oct. 7 in Oxford. However, the Rebels won that match, 3-1. This is also the second-straight year Arkansas has started the SEC Tournament against Ole Miss.

• Arkansas concluded an unbeaten regular-season record at home two weeks ago with a 3-1 win over No. 21 Auburn. It’s the first time in program history a Razorback team has completed an unbeaten home record in the regular season.

• Sophomore Haley VanFossen, as well as juniors Tori Cannata and Stefani Doyle, were named to All-SEC teams over the weekend. VanFossen was named to the first team on defense, while Cannata and Doyle earned second-team honors.

• Since Colby Hale became the head coach in 2012, the Razorbacks have only missed the SEC Tournament one time.

• With a win over No. 21 Auburn two weeks ago, Arkansas has more results (wins or ties) against Top-25 teams than any other team in the SEC this season (No. 9 West Virginia, No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 25 Mississippi St., No. 21 Auburn).

• In last year’s SEC Tournament, Arkansas became the lowest-seeded team (8) to ever reach the final, winning three matches in five days. It was the team’s second-straight tournament final appearance.

• Juniors Kayla McKeon and Tori Cannata continue to lead the team in scoring heading into the conference tournament. Both have matched each other with seven goals and 16 points. Both totals are career highs for Cannata.

• Arkansas has reached the SEC Tournament finals four times in its history, including each of the last two years. The four finals appearances ties for fourth-most in the SEC.

• Arkansas is in search of its first SEC Tournament championship in program history. This will be its 12th appearance overall and third straight.