FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas had never defeated a top 10 team when No. 2 Duke came to Fayetteville for the Razorbacks’ soccer home opener two years ago.
With more than 3,000 people — twice the stadium capacity — on hand, Arkansas played an inspired match and defeated the Blue Devils, 2-1. It was at the time, and possibly still is, the most noteworthy regular-season win in program history.
The win over Duke wasn’t gauged so much by how good the Blue Devils were (they were a national quarterfinalist that season and a national runner-up the year before) but by the mentality that it instilled in the Razorbacks’ players. Beating a program that was so established proved Arkansas could beat anyone on a given night.
Since then, Razorback Field has developed a reputation as one of the toughest venues in college soccer. Three weeks after defeating Duke, Arkansas defeated Florida, ranked No. 4 at the time.
Last season, the Razorbacks lost to top-5 teams Penn State and South Carolina in Fayetteville, but this year Arkansas was once again tough at home. Unbeatable, in fact.
The Razorbacks went 9-0-1 at home this season, the first undefeated home campaign in program history. Arkansas is 24-6-1 at home over the past three seasons.
The 2018 home schedule was highlighted by matching 3-2 wins over Baylor and then-No. 2 Texas A&M in the first five weeks of the season, and a 3-1 win over then-No. 21 Auburn last Sunday. Baylor was a national quarterfinalist a year ago and Texas A&M was unbeaten in 25 consecutive matches when it lost to Arkansas on Sept. 20.
The win over Texas A&M was Arkansas' first over the Aggies in 25 years.
“We’re getting to where it’s a massive home-field advantage,” Arkansas coach Colby Hale said. “This feels like it’s to the point that we can play with just about anybody.”
So what makes Arkansas so tough at home?
First, Hale credits enhanced fan support. A diversifying campus and community has led to more residents from countries or cultures where soccer is the No. 1 sport, and many are coming to the Razorbacks' games.
The average attendance at Razorback Field this year was 868 per game, down from last season in part because the Razorbacks did not play as many weekend matches, which typically draw much larger crowds. For instance the match against unranked Baylor was played on a Friday night in August and had more than 2,500 people on hand, but the match against No. 2 Texas A&M on a warm Thursday night in September only drew around 900.
Arkansas' marketing department has been active in enticing students to attend by offering giveaways, such as soccer scarves, to go along with free seating. The atmosphere was enhanced by students who brought drums to the field this year, creating constant noise.
“They help us out, even sometimes when we can’t hear anything," sophomore midfielder Abbi Neece said. "They just energize us more and make us want to win it for them.”
Haley VanFossen, a sophomore defender, said it isn't uncommon for the Arkansas bench to get involved and yell back and forth with the fans across the field.
"It’s just nice to have a fan base that’s so passionate about us and wants us to do well," VanFossen said.
Colby Hale has led Arkansas to a number of firsts in seven seasons, including first NCAA Tournament appearance, first NCAA Tournament win and first undefeated season at home. (Photo by Ben Goff)
The Razorbacks' other home-field advantage is their style of play. Coaches routinely say Arkansas is unlike any other team they face.
It’s because the Razorbacks pull their defense further upfield and press, eliminating time and space across the field, and making passers uncomfortable. Like a pressing defense in basketball, it is a risky style that can lead to some defensive lapses, but it also creates a number of opportunities on the offensive end. It requires a high work rate at every position, but Hale gets that with practices that are high pressure. It also requires depth and Hale is quick to use a good, deep roster.
“The things we focus on are pressure-filled moments,” Hale said. “I think they deal with that really well. A lot of times when you play a top team, those teams just kind of sit in and we go after them, and I think that may be different than what they’re used to, teams kind of bowing down to them. We’re just like, ‘Screw it, we’re going for it,’ and I think that mentality creates a confidence that they can beat anybody.”
Offensively, Arkansas scores a number of goals on set pieces, but the Razorbacks also are a good passing team. Take the decisive goal against Texas A&M, for instance.
The goal was the end of a great passing sequence in which Arkansas connected on three straight passes after an A&M turnover. Reece Christopherson’s 25-yard pass from one side of midfield to the other set up a running opportunity for Stefani Doyle, who made a classic run near the end line before she found Bryana Hunter about nine yards in front of the goal with the Aggies’ goalkeeper out of position.
Arkansas’ three goals were more than the two combined by the Aggies’ first 10 opponents.
“Liverpool has a model that we like and one of the stats is key passes,” Hale said. “It’s not an assist, but a pass that leads to an assist.
“Some people just pass the ball around the back, and that’s fine, but we’re always speeding the game up. Our games are always way faster than anyone else.”
Inconsistency against teams with lower profiles kept Arkansas from being ranked much of the season, but the Razorbacks' win over Auburn pushed the team into the top 25 this week. Arkansas was ranked No. 22 in the TopDrawer.com poll for Thursday's 3-0 loss at Florida.
Arkansas (11-4-3, 6-3-1 SEC) finished in a tie for third place in the conference. The Razorbacks already have secured a bye at next week's SEC Tournament, where they have finished runner-up the past two seasons, and will play Ole Miss on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Orange Beach, Ala.
Arkansas will make the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season and fifth time in six years. The Razorbacks have had a number of positive results this season, including a 1-1 draw with then-No. 9 West Virginia on a neutral field in August. West Virginia was a national semifinalist last season and national runner-up in 2016.
With an RPI of 25, Arkansas has a good chance to host a match in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks have hosted only once, a 2-1 overtime win over Memphis in the first round two years ago, one in a long line of program firsts over the past few seasons.
Arkansas is seeing recruiting success from this three-year run, but it has yet to translate onto the Razorbacks’ roster. Soccer recruiting, much like baseball, is done at a younger age and players commit much earlier than they typically do in sports like football or basketball.
This year’s sophomore class at Arkansas is comprised of several players who committed shortly after Hale led the Razorbacks to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 2013. They were freshmen in high school at the time.
With some exceptions, Arkansas’ roster won’t benefit from the wins of the past three seasons for another year or two. This run might be the tip of the iceberg for a program with a rapidly improving national profile.
“It’s been fun to build it,” said Hale, whose 79 wins are the most in program history. “The profile of the recruit we’re getting is getting better, but we’re still looking for a certain personality and commitment level that translates to what we do.”
A version of this story previously appeared in Hawgs Illustrated