The Arkansas women's soccer team earned its first victory against a top-10 opponent.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. â Arkansas defeated the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils 2-1 Friday night at Razorback Field in front of a record-setting crowd to improve to 3-0 for the year.
The Razorbacks struck first, scoring against the 2015 national champion runner up in the 20th minute after senior Lindsey Mayoâs strike hit the back of the net to give Arkansas a 1-0 lead. Mayo was assisted by senior Claire Kelley, her first of the season.
Arkansas pulled ahead to a 2-0 lead after freshman midfielder Stefani Doyle scored an unassisted goal late in the 49th minute. The score was Doyleâs fourth goal in three games.
MASSIVE WIN & MASSIVE CROWD! #NeverYield https://t.co/Xh0d9LBjQs
â Arkansas Razorbacks (@ArkRazorbacks) August 27, 2016
Duke freshman midfielder Olivia Erlbeck scored unassisted in the 75th minute of play to narrow Arkansasâ lead to 2-1, but the Razorbacks would play out the final minutes to seal the win and remain undefeated.
"First off, thanks to the best fans in America. We knew coming in how special some of Dukeâs players were but they hadnât really been through anything yet. Theyâd been cruising,â Arkansas head soccer coach Colby Hale said. âWe had been through some stuff and felt prepared to handle whatever the match brought. Our kidsâ fight was fantastic. They executed the game plan to perfection. What a great win. We will celebrate tonight and prepare for a very good UMKC team tomorrow.â
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In addition to the Razorbacksâ victory against the highest-ranked opponent to visit Fayetteville since 2012, the team also broke its single-game home attendance record for the third year in a row by attracting 3,010 fans to the game.
This mark topped the previous record set in 2015 against TCU by more than 29 percent.
Duke led Arkansas in shots (12-7) and corner kicks (4-1), but tied in saves (2).
The Razorbacks will seek a 4-0 mark Monday night in its second home game of the season against UMKC. Kickoff will be at 6 p.m. and the game will be streamed online via SEC Network+.
