PINE BLUFF, Ark.- The 2012 soccer season is officially underway, as theUniversity of Arkasnas at Pine Bluff Lady Lions begin the defense of their 2011 SWAC conference title. The first opponent on tap for the Lady Lions was Central Baptist College, a school located in Conway, Ark. UAPB hosted the Lady Mustangs at Pumphrey Stadium.
For first-year head coach
Rohan Naraine, just being able to compete was a nice welcome back to the sidelines. Naraine suffered a serious illness shortly after he accepted the role as coach for the Lady Lions. Additionally, during the transition between head coaches, several players from last year's championship squad decided to transfer.
In their season-opener on Friday, the Lady Lions fought hard but just could not match the scoring output by Central Baptist. The Lady Mustangs took an early lead on a goal by Ashley English in the 43
rd minute, just before half time. The Lady Mustangs added two more goals in the second half in the 55
th and 89
th minutes of the contest for a 3-0 final.
The road to rebuilding will be long and hard for Coach Naraine and the Lady Lions, but it is a journey they are prepared to make together, one step at a time. Next up in this journey will be a road contest against the Lady Red Wolves of Arkansas State University on Sunday, August 19 at 5 p.m. in Jonesboro, Ark.
