The Arkansas soccer team’s season opener didn’t go the way the Hogs wanted Tuesday night as Baylor left Fayetteville with a 4-1 win.
The Razorbacks sit at 0-1-0 after the loss while the Bears moved to 1-0-0 on their young campaign. Arkansas trailed 4-0 with roughly 20 minutes left before finding a goal that kept the Hogs off the shutout list.
Baylor struck first in the 16th minute after a foul inside the box from Arkansas sophomore defender Presley Marvil gave the Bears a penalty kick.
Forward Lauren Omholt buried the chance with a shot that snuck inside the right post past Razorbacks goalkeeper Keegan Smith.
The opening half wasn’t one-sided on the stat sheet even though Baylor led on the scoreboard. Shots favored the Bears 4-3 at the break and each team had just one save.
Things got tougher for the Razorbacks early in the second half. Baylor forward Callie Conrad scored what turned out to be the game-winner just 10 minutes after halftime.
Two more Bears goals followed in a hurry.
Midfielder Olivia Hess found the net in the 64th minute and midfielder Noelle Sather added another in the 66th to push the lead to four.
Arkansas avoids the shutout
Arkansas didn’t leave the pitch scoreless though. In the 68th minute freshman midfielder Jordan Bryant swung in a corner kick that found junior midfielder Aniyah Nurse-Whyte at the back post for a header goal.
Baylor still finished on top in the shot column 15-7 and kept Smith busy in net with five saves on the night.
It was a rough final scoreline for Arkansas but there were bright spots to build on including the connection between Bryant and Nurse-Whyte late in the match.
Looking ahead to Loyola-Maryland
The Hogs won’t have long to regroup. Arkansas hits the road for the first time this season this weekend to take on Loyola-Maryland on Sunday.
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. and the match will air on ESPN+. It’ll be the Razorbacks’ first true road test of the year after opening at home against Baylor.
Key takeaways
- Arkansas fell 4-1 to Baylor in its season opener despite trailing 4-0 with 20 minutes left
- Freshman Jordan Bryant and junior Aniyah Nurse-Whyte connected on a late corner kick goal to avoid the shutout
- The Razorbacks travel to face Loyola-Maryland Sunday at 5 p.m. on ESPN+
