The No. 10 Arkansas women’s soccer team will try to reset Sunday when it visits Loyola Maryland at Ridley Athletic Complex in Baltimore following a surprising 4-1 setback at Razorback Field in the season opener.
Arkansas’ defeat to Baylor on Wednesday marked a jarring start to the campaign and the most lopsided home loss in coach Colby Hale’s 15-year tenure. The Razorbacks, who were selected to finish second in the SEC coaches’ preseason poll after winning the conference regular-season title last year, now head east seeking a quick response.
What happened against Baylor
Wednesday’s match saw Arkansas outscored 4-1 in Fayetteville, conceding the most goals it has allowed at home since a 4-3 loss to Pittsburgh in the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 17, 2023. Aniyah Nurse-Whyte converted Arkansas’ lone goal in the game.
“We’ve got to learn from it, right? Like they said at the end, winning is hard. We have a reputation that people come into Razorback Field, and they’ve got to get up for the fight, so they get up for the fight and we don’t. We’ve got to outwork people, and we didn’t tonight.”
The quote above is from coach Colby Hale, who described the loss as a “deserving” result by Baylor and called attention to effort and preparation as areas the team must address.
Opposition: Loyola Maryland
Loyola Maryland opened its season with a 1-1 draw against William & Mary on Wednesday and finished last season at 5-5-8, falling to Army, 3-1, in the Patriot League Tournament. The meeting Sunday will be the first between Arkansas and Loyola Maryland.
Key returning contributors for the Greyhounds include Savannah Manset, who recorded three goals and two assists a season ago. A newcomer to watch is transfer Katie Ormerod (from Florida Tech), who scored Loyola’s goal in the draw with William & Mary.
Game details and coverage
| Date | Sunday |
| Kickoff | 5 p.m. Central |
| Venue | Ridley Athletic Complex (capacity: 6,000), Baltimore |
| Streaming | ESPN+ |
Fans who cannot attend in person can stream the game on ESPN+. The trip provides the Razorbacks an opportunity to regroup on the road against an opponent that has shown resilience in recent seasons.
How Arkansas must respond
The loss to Baylor will likely prompt adjustments on both tactical and mental fronts. Hale emphasized the need for intensity and work rate, a theme that has underpinned Arkansas’ success in conference play in recent years. Arkansas’ coaching staff and players must find ways to restore the defensive solidity that carried them last season while also creating consistent attacking opportunities.
- Defensive focus: Limit turnovers and maintain structure to avoid conceding high-quality chances.
- Midfield control: Regain possession in transition to feed forwards like Aniyah Nurse-Whyte.
- Physicality and effort: Respond to Hale’s call for increased work rate for the full 90 minutes.
Context within the season
Arkansas enters the match with external expectations high after last season’s SEC regular-season title and a top-10 preseason ranking. Early setbacks are not uncommon in college soccer, and a prompt bounce-back on the road could steady the team’s trajectory before conference play intensifies.
For Loyola Maryland, the game is a measuring stick — a chance to test itself against an SEC opponent ranked among the nation’s top 10. For Arkansas, it is a chance to reassert the standard that longtime coach Hale has set at Razorback Field.
Coverage will follow Arkansas’ performance in Baltimore and any developments that arise from adjustments the staff makes ahead of kickoff.
