Louisiana Soccer Match 10 Preview: at Central Arkansas

CONWAY, Ark. – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Soccer team wraps up its first trip to the state of Arkansas on Sunday when it faces Central Arkansas in a non-conference match at the Bill Stephens Track/Soccer Complex.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. A pay-per-view stream, courtesy of UCA, will be available with live stats available at RaginCajuns.com.

After being forced to move its scheduled home matches against Little Rock and UCA due to Hurricane Delta, Louisiana (6-3) opened its unexpected trip to the Natural State with a 2-0 win over Little Rock on Friday behind goals from Gwen Mummert and Lizzie Mayfield.

A team effort on defense helped Louisiana pitch its school-record fourth consecutive shutout with freshman goalkeeper Lauryn Starwood stopping a season-high eight shots by the Trojans.

UCA (5-1-1), playing an abbreviated schedule after the Southland Conference moved its fall season to the spring, has earned four of its wins against Sun Belt competition in 2020 with a pair of wins over Little Rock, along with victories over Texas State and ULM. The Bears have posted a 4-0-1 record after dropping a 2-0 decision to in-state rival Arkansas State on Sept. 13.

The contest will be Louisiana's first-ever meeting with UCA on the soccer field and the third of four scheduled meetings this season against SLC schools. The Ragin' Cajuns have faced Abilene Christian and Stephen F. Austin this season with their next opponent – Lamar – scheduled for Thursday (Oct. 15) at the Ragin' Cajuns Track/Soccer Facility.

Should disruptions or modifications to the 2020 season occur due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Athletics will quickly communicate the adjustments through its social media channels and RaginCajuns.com. Additionally, the department will communicate any changes to specific entry and attendance protocols for home matches.

In the interest of public safety and following the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) Best Practices Guide, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Athletics Department is implementing a clear bag policy at all venues that host ticketed events effective with the 2020-21 competition season. Information about the clear bag policy can be found by visiting www.RaginCajuns.com/clearbag.

MATCH INFORMATION
LOUISIANA (6-3-0, 3-2-0 Sun Belt) at CENTRAL ARKANSAS (5-1-1)
Date / Time: October 11, 2020 / 1 p.m.
Site: Conway, Ark.
Stadium: Bill Stephens Track/Soccer Complex (Grass)

THE COACHES
LOUISIANA
Head Coach: Lance Key (Trinity, 2000)
Record at Louisiana: 15-11-3 (second season); Overall Record: 224-32-20 (14th season)

CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Head Coach: Jeremy Bishop (Harding, 2000)
Record at UCA: 83-72-11 (ninth season); Overall Record: Same

VIDEO/LIVE STATS/SOCIAL UPDATES
Live Video: Bear Nation Network ($)
Live Stats: RaginCajuns.com
Twitter Updates: @RaginCajunsSOC
Hashtag: #GeauxCajuns / #LAvsUCA

SERIES HISTORY
First meeting

MATCH NOTES
JUST FOR KICKS ...
• Louisiana's 2-0 win over Little Rock on Friday marked its school-record fourth consecutive victory by shutout. The Ragin' Cajuns won three straight matches by shutout in 2004 (Louisiana Tech, Mississippi Valley State and Nicholls State) and were 2-0-1 later in the 2004 season and 2001.
• Louisiana's six wins and 18 points are tied with Arkansas State for the most among Sun Belt Conference teams.
• Louisiana is 38-29-7 all-time against the current membership of the Southland Conference. The Ragin' Cajuns have faced all current SLC women's soccer members with the exception of Houston Baptist, Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
• The match with UCA is one of four this season for Louisiana against SLC schools (Abilene Christian, Stephen F. Austin, Lamar).
• The Ragin' Cajuns return 15 letterwinners from a squad that posted a 9-8-3 record in 2019 and reached the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Championships for the first time in school history.
• Karleen Bedre's five-point performance against ULM on Sept. 27 (2G, 1A) was the most by a Sun Belt Conference player during the 2020 season.
• Alex Augustyn's two-assist match against Louisiana Tech was the first for a Ragin' Cajuns player since Kobi McNutt against Georgia Southern on Oct. 25, 2019.

BENDING THE BALL ...
• In all matches played through Oct. 4, Louisiana is tied for third nationally in assists (11), tied for fourth in total goals (12) and fifth in total points scored (35).
• Louisiana's Lizzie Mayfield has been credited with a goal and assist in three matches in 2020 (Abilene Christian, South Alabama, Little Rock).
• Louisiana's two goals scored against Abilene Christian equaled the most by the Ragin' Cajuns in a season-opener since a 2-1 win at McNeese State on Aug. 21, 2012.
• Mayfield's three points (goal, assist) against Abilene Christian equaled the most by a Ragin' Cajun in a season-opener since Courtney Hofland's three points at Houston in 2006.
• Mayfield leads the Sun Belt Conference in shot attempts (28) and is second overall in points (11) and is tied for second in goals scored (4) and assists (3).
• Two of Mayfield's team-high three assists have come on corner kicks.
• Louisiana leads the Sun Belt Conference in corner kicks (55) and corner kicks per game (6.11).

THROW-INS ...
• Gwen Mummert has started in all 47 career matches she has played in.
• Mummert is tied for the Sun Belt Conference lead in game-winning goals (2).
• Mummert joins Una Einarsdottir, Julianne DeBlieux and Ashley Newland as team captains for the 2020 season.
• The assists at Texas State by Kiana Leger and freshman Demi McCalliog – in her collegiate debut – were the first points of their Louisiana career.
• Freshman Caitlyn Ferguson made her Louisiana debut at Texas State and scored an equalizer in the 76th minute off an assist from Leger.
• The announcement of Lizzie Mayfield (offense) and Jordan Higgins (defense) as Sun Belt Conference Players of the Week on Sept. 9 marked the first time in school history Louisiana swept the weekly honors.
• After missing the 2019 season due to injury, redshirt junior Grace Champagne played seven minutes against ACU as she returned to the field for the time since Oct. 21, 2018 against Georgia State.

SAVES AND CLEAN SHEETS ...
• Louisiana's five shutouts in 2020 are tied with Arkansas State for the most in the Sun Belt Conference.
• Goalkeeper Jordan Higgins posted the first shutout in her Ragin' Cajuns debut since Alexias Stricklin stopped seven shots in a 1-0 win over Sam Houston State in 2014.
• Higgins became just the second goalkeeper in school history to earn SBC Player of the Week honors and the first since Liza Preseault on Oct. 1, 2002.
• Louisiana added three goalkeepers - junior college transfer Jordan Higgins and freshmen Carly Dean and Lauryn Starwood - to replace the tandem of Mackenzie Lee and Victoria Mendes.
• Starwood earned her first career start in against Arkansas State on Sept. 24 after Higgins was a late scratch.
• Starwood earned her first collegiate win on Sept. 27 against ULM and combined with fellow true freshman Carly Dean on a shutout.
• Starwood's 0.20 goals against average in 441 minutes of play is second in the Sun Belt behind Arkansas State's Megan McClure (0.17).
• In matches played through Oct. 4, Starwood is ninth nationally in both goals againsst average (0.26) and save percentage (.900)

MEET THE NEWCOMERS
• Fourteen new faces are expected to see their first action for Louisiana during the 2020 season, highlighted by West Virginia transfer Lizzie Mayfield and junior college transfer Jordan Higgins.
• Newcomers Alyssa Abbott, Carly Dean, Caitlyn Ferguson, Hailey Hoffmann, Demi McCalliog, Abby Nowak, Lucy Ortiz, Mikayla Price, Mya Smith, Emily Sonnier, Katelyn Stamps and Lauryn Starwood are part of head coach Lance Key's first recruiting class at Louisiana.
• Mayfield, Higgins and Hoffmann each earned starts in Louisiana's debut while Abbott and Ortiz each came off the bench in the 2-0 win over ACU.

UP NEXT
• Louisiana returns home from its trip to the Natural State to host Lamar on Thursday (Oct. 15) at 7 p.m.

THE NEW NORMAL ... FOR NOW
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sun Belt Conference has split the teams split into East and West Divisions with teams playing home-and-home against divisional opponents.
• Louisiana and the rest of the West Division programs (Arkansas State, Little Rock, ULM, Texas State) will play eight conference contests while the teams in the East (Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, South Alabama, Troy) will play 10.

LOUISIANA HONORED WITH USC TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD
• The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Soccer team was one of 941 college teams recognized by the United Soccer Coaches as the Team Academic Award winners were recently announced by the organization.
• College Team Academic Award recipients are active members of the United Soccer Coaches College Services Program with a composite grade point average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale for all players on the roster for the 2019-20 academic year.
• The award for Louisiana was its 11th overall since the program's inception in 1996. The Ragin' Cajuns earned the Team Academic Award in the following years: 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2019.

Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsSOC), Instagram (@RaginCajuns_SOC) and Facebook (Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Soccer) or check RaginCajuns.com for Louisiana soccer updates.

Louisiana Soccer Match 10 Preview: at Central Arkansas

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Players Mentioned

Alyssa Abbott

Alex Augustyn

Karleen Bedre

Grace Champagne

Carly Dean

Julianne DeBlieux

Una Einarsdottir

Caitlyn Ferguson

Jordan Higgins

Hailey Hoffmann

Mackenzie Lee

Kiana Leger

Lizzie Mayfield

Demi McCalliog

Kobi McNutt

Victoria Mendes

Gwen Mummert

Ashley Newland

Abby Nowak

Lucy Ortiz

Mikayla Price

Mya Smith

Emily Sonnier

Katelyn Stamps

Lauryn Starwood

Alexias Stricklin

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