TROY, Ala. (10/22/21) – Rachel Kutella's golden goal in the 100th minute clinched the Sun Belt Conference regular season title for the Arkansas State women's soccer team as the Red Wolves defeated Troy 1-0 in overtime Friday night.
Emma Riley earned A-State (10-4-2, 7-1-1 Sun Belt) a corner kick with just over a minute to play and Sarah Strong went to the corner flag to serve in the kick. The exceptional service to the near post found Kutella and a header by Kutella slipped underneath the crossbar and to the back left corner of the goal to clinch the 1-0 victory and second-consecutive regular season title for the program.
Kutella, playing for the first time since Sept. 23 due to injury, played only the final six minutes of the fixture. She collects her second career goal, both of which are game-winners. Strong registered her first career assist on the service into the box.
Megan McClure stopped eight shots by Troy (6-9-1, 3-6-0 Sun Belt) and registered her second consecutive shutout. The Trojans out-shot A-State 17-9 in the match and held an 8-5 edge in shots on goal, but McClure made the stops for her fifth shutout this season and 27th of her career. With eight saves in the match, McClure has 80 on the season, tied for the eighth-most in single season history.
With the victory, A-State secures a second-consecutive Sun Belt Conference regular season title and the fifth season in program history with at least 10 wins. The Red Wolves improved to 15-1-2 in the last 18 regular season conference matches and 31-15-7 overall since the start of the 2019 season.
A-State closes out the regular season Sunday at Coastal Carolina. Kick-off is set for 11:00 a.m. (CT) on ESPN+. Fans can follow the team on Twitter (@AStateSoccer) and Instagram (astatesoccer) along with liking the Arkansas State University Soccer page on Facebook for the latest news and updates regarding the team.
