Photo by: Krishnan Collins | Sports Editor: Sophia Restrepo registered the game winning assist against the Little Rock Trojans. Restrepo played Sarah Sodoma through on goal in the 58th minute.

The Arkansas State soccer team defeated in-state foe Little Rock 1-0 on Tuesday afternoon to close out the Red Wolves’ regular season.

With the win, the Red Wolves improved to 5-2-3 in the Sun Belt Conference which earned them a third place finish in the league. A-State finished the regular season with a 9-5-3 overall record.

The Red Wolves scored in the 58th minute when Sarah Sodoma was slipped past the Little Rock backline by Sophia Restrepo. Sodoma took her time and then slotted the ball past Julia Curatolo in the Trojan’s goal. Restrepo played the role of midfield maestro this season for the Red Wolves and came up with a masterful touch to play Sodoma through. After missing her freshman year with a devastating injury, this game-winning assist meant a lot.

“That means so much to me,” Restrepo said. “I can’t even explain the feeling of being able to comeback and contribute in such a way that we can stay in third place. It’s a really good feeling.”

1-0 to A-State was a typical scoreline earlier in the season when the Red Wolves shut down Louisiana and Texas State at the A-State Soccer park. Today, A-State won behind that scoreline again and the Red Wolves’ defense played a major role in the victory. Sophomore Haley Husted dominated at the right back position.

“We have some mad chemistry to be honest,” Husted said about the backline. “We just kind of all click. We know what we want to do and we know what to do. It just happens. We mesh so well together. This season we’ve definitely grown way, way more than last season as a defense.”

With the third place finish in the SBC, the Red Wolves will take on the sixth seed in the league tournament. A shutout win at home against a rival is a great way to head into postseason play.

“We’re coming in so excited,” Restrepo said, “because we got a win in our last game on our home field.”

The Red Wolves went through a period this year of consecutive overtime games consisting of multiple draws. Husted knows just what a shutout win in the last game of the season could do for A-State soccer.

“It feels amazing, especially after coming off a long tying road,” Husted said. “It feels real great. I think we’ve put ourselves in a really good spot. Third place is the best we’ve ever done in Arkansas State soccer. So I think going into the tournament with a shutout, I think that’s going to be a real game changer.”

Game Summary

Second Half

The Red Wolves dominated the second half. After some halftime adjustments, A-State kept possession better and created more opportunities in the second period.

With six minutes left in the match, Hailey Furio dribbled past a defender to win a free kick and draw a yellow card. Sodoma took the free kick and shot a long, lobbing ball towards the back post. Little Rock’s keeper seemed to be in two minds and Sodoma’s ball hit the post but never went in the net.

Restrepo not only assisted the goal but the Florida native took a few shots herself. Although neither of her shots hit the back of the net, Restrepo worked to get into those positions.

“In the past few games I’ve been getting a little frustrated because I feel like I could be shooting more and giving us more opportunities,” Restrepo said. “I just went into this game thinking I’m going to take more shots and hopefully one of them will go in.”

When Sodoma scored in the 58th minute of the match she registered her eighth goal of the season. This goal tally equaled the junior forward’s goal tally from her freshman season when she won SBC freshman of the year.

In the 53rd minute, Furio won a corner that Sodoma eventually took. A-State looked dangerous on set pieces during the match and this corner was no exception. The ball found the head of Julianna Coates but the senior defender headed the ball over the net.

First Half

Neither team made many chances in a rather uneventful first half. A-State’s backline was strong as they have been all season in the first period of play. Husted flew into tackles and showed her pace at right back.

In the 42nd minute, the Red Wolves produced a training ground set piece from a free kick. Husted got the ball on the right wing before sending a cross into the Trojan box. The ball eventually fell to Sodoma but her shot was blocked. After the ball bounced around a bit no A-State player ever really got a good look at goal.

In the 28th minute, Sodoma took a corner that was dangerously close to the Trojan goal. However, it neither went directly in nor did any A-State player get a head on the ball.

With around 20 minutes left in the half, Sodoma beat a defender on the end line and pulled the ball back across the goal. Olivia Smith found the ball in tons of space. The junior put her shot wide in what was one of the best chances for A-State in the first half.

On senior night Abby Harris decided to pull out the tricks when the New Jersey native used a silky scissor to get past a defender. Feeling the adrenaline of the move, the senior took a long shot that was easily caught by Little Rock’s keeper.

Little Rock’s best chance came four minutes into the match when the Trojans earned a free kick not too far outside A-State’s box. The ball found the head of Julia Edholm. The Sweden native put a wide open header over the crossbar.

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