FAYETTEVILLE -- Colby Hale has helped the Arkansas women's soccer program take a giant leap forward in his three seasons in charge.
But he believes his players begin his fourth season looking for more, despite back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances.
Arkansas Razorbacks
Date^Opponent^Time
Aug. 21^Stephen F. Austin^7 p.m.
Aug. 23^Texas Christian^6 p.m.
Aug. 28^at Yale^5 p.m.
Aug. 30^at Penn State^5 p.m.
Sept. 6^at Rice^7 p.m.
Sept. 11^Tennessee*^7 p.m.
Sept. 13^Missouri-Kansas City^6:30 p.m.
Sept. 17^Kansas^6:30 p.m.
Sept. 20^Mississippi State*^noon
Sept. 25^at Georgia*^6 p.m.
Sept. 27^at Kentucky*^4 p.m.
Oct. 2^South Carolina*^7 p.m.
Oct. 9^Ole Miss*^7 p.m.
Oct. 11^at Vanderbilt*^1 p.m.
Oct. 15^LSU*^6 p.m.
Oct. 23^at Texas A&M*^7 p.m.
Oct. 25^at Florida*^5 p.m.
Oct. 29^Alabama*^7 p.m.
Nov. 2-8^SEC Tournament
Hale pointed to the first exhibition game eight days ago that the Razorbacks actually won 1-0. But he wasn't all that pleased. However, he didn't have to say much. His four seniors stepped forward to let the team know that effort was not acceptable.
"We won, but we just weren't us," Hale said. "They took the whole team on their own and said 'Hey, that's not us. We've got to do better.' Stuff like that happening, you know you're probably in a decent place."
Arkansas went just 4-14 overall and 2-9 in the Southeastern Conference the before he came on campus. The Razorbacks advanced to the Sweet 16 two seasons ago and lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament last year.
Senior forward Ashleigh Ellenwood said this team is an even more talented group that opens the season by hosting Stephen F. Austin at 7 p.m. today.
Word is definitely out about the Razorbacks, who mashed attendance records last season, averaging 1,359 per game compared to 981 in 2013. That total ranked 13th in the country.
But just like their success on the field, Arkansas is pushing for more in the stands, too.
They will be looking to break the single-game attendance record of 2,268 that was set last season on Aug 24 in the Razorbacks' 2-1 win over Oklahoma State.
Hale acknowledge more success on the field has helped the attendance climb, but he and the team have made it a point to reach out to the students and the soccer community in Northwest Arkansas.
"We called every season ticket holder and thank them, it was really fun," Hale said. "But we've also went to some local youth academies. There's 25,000 registered soccer players in Northwest Arkansas. We just want to build a connection with them and try to create a community.
"It was really the students. We averaged like 40 or 50 students, but last year we were like over 400. International students, we connected with them. They understand soccer culture. It was one of the best game-day soccer experiences in the country I guarantee that."
Hale called the team "super balanced" with a few players in each class that will be counted on to contribute significant minutes.
Ellenwood, who led the team in points with 24 a year ago (5 goals, 14 assists), said this year's team has thoughts of winning an SEC title, returning to the NCAA tournament and making an even deeper run this time. Those things weren't even talked about when she and Hale got here.
"Those things are definitely in our sights now, but one game at a time," Ellenwood said. "We are a more talented group, but we have to stick to who we are. People know us as a hard-working Razorback team. People know us for our grind. With more talent, I think that's making us grow into a better program."
Sports on 08/21/2015