No. 11 Arkansas seals road win at Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 11 Arkansas (4-2-1, 1-0-0 SEC) defeated Tennessee (5-2-1, 0-1-0 SEC) in a 3-1 victory Friday night thanks to a first half brace from midfielder Bea Franklin and a second half goal by forward Sophia Aragon.

The Hogs last opened SEC play with a road win in 2016.

First Half

Franklin’s first goal was scored in the 12th on Arkansas’ first corner kick of the match. The kick was taken by freshman defender Avery Wren and headed on target by forward Anna Podojil. Tennessee goalkeeper Ally Zazzara poked the ball out to a wide-open Franklin in the six-yard box. Franklin’s right-footed shot sailed between two defenders to give Arkansas the early lead.

Tennessee equalized the match in the 30th minute off a corner kick of their own but Franklin put the Hogs back in front a minute and a half later. Senior Kiley Dulaney served the ball in from distance to connect with Franklin for one of her patented header goals.

The brace is the second of her career, with the first one coming in last year’s NCAA Tournament match against Ohio State. Eight of Franklin’s 10 goals as a Razorback have been scored with her head.

Second Half

The Hogs did not sit back in the second half and found their third goal in the 72nd minute. Senior defender Emilee Hauser snuck the ball into the 18-yard box where Aragon raced past two Tennessee defenders and finished far post to put away the match for the Razorbacks.

Arkansas goalkeeper Sierra Cota-Yarde and the Hogs’ defense came up big in the second half and fended off 11 shots, two on target, to keep Tennessee off the board.

Franklin led the Hogs with four of the team’s 10 shots.

Next Up

The Hogs will play their first home game of September when they face Grand Canyon (6-2-1) on Sunday, September 17. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and the match will be streamed on SEC Network Plus.