With less than two minutes remaining in the second period of extra time in the SEC Tournament semifinal Thursday at Pensacola, Fla., it appeared the second-seeded University of Arkansas women’s soccer team and third-seeded Texas seemed destined for penalty kicks.
But Longhorns defender Lauren Lapomarda’s looping goal late in extra time lifted Texas to a 2-1 victory and sent it to the SEC Tournament final in its debut season in the league.
“Mixed emotions in this one. We played well enough to win,” Arkansas Coach Colby Hale wrote in a text message after the game. “We limited them to zero danger zone touches on the night. We gave up an own goal and a shot cross. Soccer can be cruel.”
Arkansas (14-2-2) will wait to hear its NCAA Tournament seeding during the selection show at 3 p.m. on Monday. The Razorbacks have been picked as a No. 1 or 2 seed in various bracket projections.
Texas (15-3-2) will face fourth-seeded South Carolina on Sunday in the tournament final. The Gamecocks upset No. 1 seed Mississippi State 3-0 earlier Thursday.
The Razorbacks started the game well and largely dominated possession throughout. Kennedy Ball gave Arkansas a 1-0 lead 16 minutes into the first half with a tidy finish into the top-right corner for her first goal of the season.
Ball is the 20th Arkansas player to score this season.
Texas tied the score with just over four minutes remaining in the first half on an own goal. The Longhorns had a good buildup and a squared ball into the box hit Razorbacks midfielder Jailyn Brownlee and went into the goal.
Texas goalkeeper Mia Justus set a career high with 14 saves, including two highlight-reel stops. The first came just after the Longhorns had tied the game, when Justus dove to her left to deny Arkansas’ Ella Riley. The second came in the second half when Justus pushed a shot from Makenzie Malham over the crossbar to keep the game tied at 1-1.
Arkansas out
shot Texas 15-5. The Razorbacks had a goal called back for offside early in the second half after Justus was beaten to the ball and Ava Tankersley touched it in from an offside position.
The Longhorns sat in defense and required a strong game from Justus and their backline. They looked to hit the Razorbacks on the break with counterattacks.
“We’re gritty, we’re ready to fight and we’re not ready to leave,” Lapomarda said on the
SEC Network. “Credit to Arkansas. They’re a great, phenomenal team. Top-four team, and they gave us a great battle.”
Thursday was the Razorbacks’ second loss of the season, joining the road loss to Mississippi State on Oct. 4. That resume is expected to give Arkansas a home-field advantage in the NCAA Tournament, with the seeding and match pairings to be announced Monday. The selection show will be live-streamed on NCAA.com.
“We will get back to Fayetteville, clean up a few things and be ready for a run,” Hale said. “This team has something special. Excited to get the draw and get back to work.”
