FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas soccer has recorded dozens of program firsts under head coach Colby Hale.
Now Hale is considered the Razorbacks' best coach ever.
The fifth-year coach set the program record for career victories in Arkansas' 1-0 win over North Texas on Sunday. Hale's 46th win surpassed Janet Rayfield, who coached the Razorbacks from 1993-98.
"It means a lot," Hale said. "It's a huge honor.
"The program had some work to do when we got here, but we inherited some players who were just ready to win. We had to some outside-the-box things early on to get some things done and they bought into what we were selling."
Among the Razorbacks' firsts under Hale are NCAA Tournament appearances (2), NCAA Tournament wins (3) and wins over regional opponents Texas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
"I haven't really placed what the biggest moments are," Hale said. "In my third year we sat down and came up with 34 things that had happened for the first time in program history.
"There have been some really neat moments and (the all-time wins record) is certainly one of them."
Arkansas improved to 7-1 overall with Sunday's win. The Razorbacks are 1-0 in SEC play following a 5-2 win at Mississippi State last week.
Next up for Arkansas is a top 25 showdown when the No. 25 Razorbacks host No. 5 Florida (5-1, 1-0 SEC) on Friday at Razorback Field.
Arkansas has already defeated one top 5 opponent this season - 2-1 over then-No. 2 Duke in August in front of a record-crowd of 3,010 fans at Razorback Field. The Razorbacks were 0-30-2 all-time against ranked opponents prior to Hale's arrival.
"I think we've now beaten five," Hale said.
"We like our chances. I think it's going to be a battle of styles, but we'll certainly be up for the fight. Some big milestones we haven't had are hosting an NCAA Tournament game and beating Florida."