BOCA RATON, Fla. - The UALR Trojan soccer team's Cinderella run through the Sun Belt Conference Tournament came to an end in a hard-fought 1-0 loss to the Denver Pioneer's in the championship game. For UALR, who entered the tournament as a No. 8 seed, it was their first appearance in the title game.

Denver got the game's only goal in the 20th minute when Jessie Rogers converted a corner kick from teammate Mariah Johnston, giving the Pioneers a 1-0 lead.

UALR had their chances as they had 11 shots with four on goal. Freshman Kamiya Merrick and sophomore Jacquelyn Paz led the way with three shots apiece with one coming on goal.

Denver recorded one more shot on the afternoon than the Trojans, as they finished with 12 shots and five on goal. Bria Beardsly led the charge attempting five strikes.

Lara Campbell earned the shutout in goal for the Pioneers, finishing with four saves. Junior goalkeeper Jane Picarelli, who finished the tournament with just one goal against her in three games, finished with four saves of her own.

Despite the loss, the Trojans were well represented on the All-Tournament Team. Among the selections were Picarelli, Paz, Merrick and sophomore forward Christina Veasley.

For the tournament, Picarelli earned two shutouts in goal and earned 23 saves including a season-best 12 in the opening round victory over No. 1 seed Florida International on Wednesday. Paz, who played every minute in the tournament, was instrumental in helping the Trojans surrender just one goal this week with her defensive efforts.

Offensively, Merrick scored the game-winning goal in overtime for the Trojans against FIU and recorded five shots in the three games. Veasley, a First Team All-Sun Belt selection, finished the tournament with one goal and one assist. Her goal came in UALR's 1-0 win over North Texas in the semifinals, while her assist set up Merrick's goal in the opening round victory.

With the victory, it marks the fourth-straight tournament title for the Pioneers in as many years and their 7th since 2001. The Pioneers season will continue as they received the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile, the Trojans finish the season with a 9-12-1 overall record and appear to have a bright future as just four seniors in Heather Pittman, Dana Sahd, Alison Davis and Erin Dawson will be lost from this season's tournament runner-up squad.