The Arkansas soccer team took an early 1-0 lead on the road against fourth-ranked North Carolina on Sunday, but were unable to hold off the Tarheels in the second half and fell 3-1 in Chapel Hill.
It was the first loss of the season for the No. 8 Razorbacks (3-1-1).
The Hogs struck first when senior forward Anna Podojil’s scored her first goal of the season in the 22nd minute. After picking up the ball near midfield, Podojil broke away from a Carolina defender, then fired from outside the 18-yard box. The shot was deflected by Tar Heel goalkeeper Emmie Allen, but managed to bounce past the goal line.
It was Podojil’s 46th career goal, which leads all of NCAA Division I.
North Carolina (4-0-2) was able to knot the score at 1-1 in the 41st minute, getting a goal from forward Mia Oliaro. But not until the final 25 minutes did the Tar Heels begin to pull away, getting a goal from forward Ally Sentor in the 66th minute, then adding the final netter by forward Avery Patterson in the 82nd minute.
Arkansas gave up a season-high 17 shots, but only allowed one corner kick, while taking seven.
“We aren’t a silver lining team, and we will take a lot from that,” head coach Colby Hale said. “We did what we do and for long portions of the game, we were equal if not better. We went after them at their place. Corners were 7-1 us. Championship teams embrace doing difficult things and we will always go for it. We’re never happy with a loss and that is an important step for this team’s goals. We will grow as we take on the next challenge.”
The Razorbacks will remain on the East Coast this week to face No. 11 Clemson (3-0-1) on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.
Story originally appeared on Razorbacks Wire
