Georgia Hosts No. 8 Arkansas on Sunday

Georgia (8-2-1, 1-1-1 SEC) vs. No. 8 Arkansas (8-2-0, 3-0-0 SEC)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 3
Time: 1 p.m. EDT
Location: Athens, Ga.
Site: Turner Soccer Complex (1,682)

MEDIA INFORMATION
TV / Live Stream: ESPNU
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com
Twitter: @UGASoccer

Social Media: For complete information on Georgia soccer, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGASoccer on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

QUICK KICKS
Series History
Sunday's match is the 22^nd all-time meeting between Georgia and Arkansas, with the Bulldogs holding a 12-4-5 advantage in the series and a 5-2-2 lead at home. In the most recent meeting, the two teams played to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 27, 2019 in Fayetteville.

Dawgs and Hawgs
Sunday's match marks the conclusion of a busy sports weekend between Georgia and Arkansas, starting with the top-10 football game on Saturday afternoon in Athens and following a volleyball showdown that evening in Fayetteville. No. 8 Arkansas marks the third top-15 opponent this season for Georgia and the second-consecutive meeting with a top-10 team. Since losing their first two matches to national title contenders Duke and North Carolina, the Razorbacks have rattled off eight straight wins, including impressive victories last week against Texas A&M and Ole Miss. During Billy Lesesne's tenure, Georgia is 1-2-1 against Arkansas, including a 3-1 home win in 2018.

Historic Upset
Georgia defeated No. 5 LSU in overtime last Sunday in Baton Rouge, the third win over a top-five opponent in program history and first since beating No. 4 Texas A&M in 2015. With only 45 seconds remaining in the first OT period, graduate defender Kayla Bruster stole the ball and passed it along to graduate forward Mollie Belisle for the winner. Sunday's match was the first this season in which Georgia was outshout, but still prevailed.

Belisle Leads the Nation
Graduate forward Mollie Belisle continued her outstanding season with her game-winning goal in overtime at No. 5 LSU. Currently, Belisle is tied for first nationally with 12 goals and third in points with 25. Through 11 matches, Belisle has already set a new career high for scores in a season and is now tied for eighth in school history with 23 career goals. She is also the first player to score 10+ goals in a season Marion Crowder notched 11 in 2013.

Career Day for Wegener
Senior goalkeeper Emory Wegener was an instrumental part of Georgia's 2-1 upset win at No. 5 LSU, posting a career-high 10 saves in 100 minutes of play. Wegener helped maintain the tie with a pair of diving saves and an acrobatic leaping deflection. Now sitting at 243 career goals, she ranks sixth in program history.

Ranking Report
Following last week's win over LSU, Georgia rose to No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches (USC) Southeast Region rankings and received seven votes for the national poll. The Bulldogs checked in at No. 38 in the newest RPI rankings released Monday, the sixth-highest rated team in the SEC.

Putting Up Numbers
Through 11 matches, the Georgia attack ranks third in the nation and first in the SEC with 37 goals, surpassing the 18 scored all of last season. The Bulldogs ranked first for two weeks until South Alabama moved into the top spot following a 15-0 win over Alcorn State. With 3.36 goals per match, the scoring offense ranks sixth nationally.

Sharing is Caring
Through 11 matches, Georgia ranks fifth nationally in total assists with 35. Senior Dani Murguia is tied for sixth nationally with eight assists, already the fourth-most in a season in program history. In total, 13 different Bulldogs have notched at least one assist during the season.

Run of Consistency
Thanks to a quartet of Bulldogs, the Georgia starting lineup has remained remarkably consistent, only the same starting XI in nine of 11 matches. Graduate defender Kayla Bruster has started in 71 consecutive appearances, while seniors Abby Boyan (63) and Cecily Stoute (61) have also continued streaks of their own. Senior midfielder Bella Ponzi (59) and senior goalkeeper Emory Wegener (58) have also joined the "50 Start Club" this season.

SPECTATOR INFORMATION
Admission to Turner Soccer Complex is free. Before Sunday's match, the first 500 spectators in attendance will receive a free Georgia scrunchie. A selection of concession items will be available at value prices, with jumbo hot dogs, 20 oz. bottled sodas, and 22 oz. fountain Coca-Cola™ soft drinks selling for $2.50, while 20 oz. bottled Dasani®, candy, and popcorn tubs are $2. All concession and merchandise items at Turner Soccer Complex are cashless and contactless – MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover are all accepted.

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Players Mentioned

Mollie Belisle

Abby Boyan

Kayla Bruster

Dani Murguia

Bella Ponzi

Cecily Stoute

Emory Wegener