Four Razorbacks selected to watch list — BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — With the 2018 Razorback soccer season slated to begin this Friday, four Razorbacks were tabbed to the Southeastern Conference’s preseason soccer watch list on Wednesday.
Junior Stefani Doyle leads the group along with sophomores Taylor Malham, Parker Goins and Haley Van Fossen. Arkansas was one of 10 teams with four or more players named to the watch list and it’s the second-straight year for Doyle.
Stefani Doyle (Jr./Midfielder)
Doyle started all 24 matches last year, while finishing third on the team in goals (5), tying for second in assists (6) and second in points (16). She scored one of two Razorback goals against top-ranked Penn State and scored her first NCAA Tournament goal against NC State in Arkansas’ first-round match last year.
Over her two seasons in Fayetteville, Doyle has amassed 11 goals and nine assists for 36 points in 48 matches. She’s already nine goals away from cracking into the Arkansas top-10 for goals in a career.
Parker Goins (So./Forward)
Goins is coming off a stellar freshman season where she was named to the All-SEC Second Team and Freshman Team after leading the team with nine goals and 25 points. Goins was clutch with a team-leading four game-winning goals against Abilene Christian, Mississippi State, Oral Roberts and LSU.
Her winners in the SEC opener against the Bulldogs and Golden Eagles netted her the SEC Freshman of the Week award. She also was the first Razorback since 2001 with a hat trick when she scored four goals in a 6-1 victory over Abilene Christian, becoming the 12th different Razorback to achieve that feat.
Haley VanFossen (So./Defender)
VanFossen was another of the number of freshman to contribute heavily in 2017. Last year, the Tulsa, Oklahoma-native started in 23 matches, logging 1,878 minutes, the fifth-most on the team. She also scored once, coming against Providence and notched three assists, one coming in the SEC Tournament.
VanFossen was a key component in Arkansas’ run to its second-straight SEC Tournament final, playing nearly every minute of all four matches and was named to the all-tournament team. Her long free kick near midfield was the key assist to help Arkansas score the only goal in a 1-0 victory over nine-seed Ole Miss, sending the Razorbacks to the quarterfinals.
Taylor Malham (So./Forward)
Malham started all 24 matches a year ago, more than any other freshman on the team, and finished with six goals with two assists. Her 14 points were the third highest on the team and she was one of only two players with three or more game-winning goals.
Malham’s final game-winner of the year came in a 1-0 victory over Ole Miss to push the Razorbacks through to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. She also notched the assist in a 1-0 victory over top-seed South Carolina to help her earn SEC All-Tournament honors.
Arkansas kicks off the regular season on Friday against Duquesne in State College, Pennsylvania with first kick set for 4 p.m. CT. The team will, then, face West Virginia on Sunday at 11 a.m., also in State College as part of a season-opening round-robin tournament hosted by Penn State.
