On the heels of a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, Head Coach Colby Hale has announced the addition of nine players who will join the program this fall. The nine newcomers will join 22 veterans from the 2014 Razorback team that went 9-7-6 overall, 5-3-1 at home and ranked fourth in the Southeastern Conference in average home attendance (1,359).

The Razorbacks welcome Madeline Barnes (Frisco, Texas/Frisco HS/FC Dallas), Ellie Breden (Fayetteville, Ark./Fayetteville HS/Arkansas Comets), Reece Christopherson (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley West HS/Sporting Blue Valley), Brianna Curtis (Evergreen, Colo./Evergreen HS/Colorado Rush), Carly Hoke (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest HS/FC United), Elizabeth Poblete (Scottsdale, Ariz./Xavier College Prep/Sereno), Katie Taylor (Tupelo, Miss./Tupelo HS/Alabama FC), Rachel VanFossen (Broken Arrow, Okla./Tulsa Union HS/TSC Hurricane) and Kellee Willer (Fort Collins, Colo./Fossil Ridge HS/Fort Collins Arsenal).

“This class has a little bit of everything,” said Hale. “I know these players are chomping at the bit to step in and compete for time right away. They play crucial roles for some of the top club and high school teams in the country. We want to keep getting more athletic and technical and I think we accomplished that with this class. Our current players have worked extremely hard to create a culture of winning and the nine student-athletes we are signing today will only enhance that. We have talked quite a bit this spring about our evolution as a program and every player adds some elite qualities and I expect this class will only enhance our direction and culture.”

The Razorbacks finished the 2014 season with a 9-7-6 mark, giving the program its first back-to-back winning season since the 2008, 2009 seasons. Head Coach Colby Hale and his Arkansas squad were also the No. 9 seed in the conference tournament and earned the program’s second consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament (second in school history). After picking up a 3-2 overtime victory at Oklahoma in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the Razorbacks fell at No. 3 Stanford, 1-0, in the Round of 32 to end the season.

The 2014 campaign was a great one for the Razorbacks, not only on the field, but also in the stands, as a program record 12,231 fans came out to support the women’s soccer team at Razorback Field in 2014. Last season’s total turnout and average game crowd (1,359) continues a rise in attendance that dates back to the 2010 season.

There were many attendance records broken at Razorback Field during the 2014 season:

·         In just the second game of the season, the program set a new single-game attendance record, as 2,268 fans witnessed a 2-1 win over Oklahoma State.

·         Over 1,000 fans were in attendance in eight of the nine games at Razorback Field. The lone exception came on Sept. 12 vs. Rice, where 900 people were in the stands.

·         Four of last season’s crowds (Utah State, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Texas A&M) cracked the top 10 for single-game attendance in Razorback Field history.

·         Seven of last season’s crowds (Utah State, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Missouri State, Auburn, Florida) broke into the top 15 for single-game attendance in Razorback Field history.

“Recruiting is such an important part of every college program,” Hale said. “We feel this class has a chance to be special. First I want to thank Ben Strawbridge and Mario Rincon for their instrumental work on assembling this class. There are so many people that have aided in the process. A few I want to thank publically are Tamesha Greenlee, Eric Wood, Dr. Henry, Rob Scott and Dr. Charles Small. We believe wholeheartedly in this University and its athletics department. To see these classes come together is pretty special”

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