LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – It was a disappointing night for the UALR Trojans as they fell short against the Louisiana Cajuns. UALR created multiple opportunities early on but were ultimately unsuccessful.
“I think we dominated the first 20, 25 minutes. They commanded a little bit more…there is no good in saying we were the best team for 20 minutes, no good saying we dominated possession; we didn’t score,” expressed head coach Mark Foster.
Early in the first half at minute five, the Trojans took a corner kick that seemed as though they would put the ball in the net. After a few seconds of scrambling between the offense and defense, Lousiana was able to take the ball out of the box.
Continuing into the 20th minute, the Trojans had been dominating the field with three shots on goal. One by Smocovich, Laughley, and Lucio that were saved by Lousiana goalie, Starwood.
Five minutes later, Louisiana had two corner kicks in a row, allowing for pressure inside the box. Defender Mummert took one of their few chances and ran with it, scoring their first goal of the game –– corner kick by Mayfield. A minute before the end of the first half, the Cajuns forward, Mayfield curved a shot from a lobbed arc passed by her teammate that flew over the Trojans defense to keep the lead, now 2-0.
Despite the two goals from Lousiana, we saw the Trojans dominate the first half. They came in full force into the second half with hopes to score after so much pressure from the offense. A wonderful opportunity unleashed when Laughley, offensive leader of the game, made an attempt from the right side that unfortunately hit the crossbar.
Foster saw the hard work his team was putting in. “The second half, we came out and tried to claim it and I thought we were a better team the whole second half,” he says.
After various attempts but lack of cohesiveness from the Trojans, they accepted defeat. They are not done and will continue to work hard toward their next game on Sunday, Oct. 13 as they travel to ULM. Don’t miss the kickoff at 1 p.m.
