AND AGAIN!
Overcoming a slow start, the Lady Panthers unleash a big second half to earn their fourth consecutive state crown.
FAYETTEVILLE — The floodgates opened for Siloam Springs’ girls soccer team in the second half, and the Lady Panthers rode the waves to another state title.
Siloam Springs blew open a 1-0 halftime lead with five goals in the second half and the Lady Panthers won their fourth straight Class 6A title with a 6-1 rout of Russellville at Razorback Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas.
Siloam Springs was playing in its fifth straight state title game, dating back to a 3-1 loss to Searcy in 2013. But unlike the previous state title wins in 2014, 2015 and 2016, the Lady Panthers finally got some breathing room in Friday’s game, which was a rematch of last year’s state finals against Russellville — a game Siloam Springs won 1-0.
Junior forward Audrey Maxwell, who was named Most Valuable Player of the championship game, scored a hat trick and three other Lady Panthers scored goals Friday. Maxwell scored the game’s first goal with 4:07 left in the first half, but the Lady Panthers missed several other good chances and only led 1-0 at halftime.
“We just got them in at halftime, settled them down a bit,” said Siloam Springs head coach Brent Crenshaw. “I thought we were being outworked at times. I think that kind of challenged them, and I told them to play simple soccer, move off the ball, connect with our passes, and do all that stuff. … Having an Audrey Maxwell and Megan Hutto and those dangerous players that we have, they’re going to put one in the back of the net if they keep getting chances.”
That’s exactly what happened in the second half for Siloam Springs (24-3).
Maxwell scored just 25 seconds into the second half when Russellville keeper Brit Hillis came out on a play and Maxwell kicked it into the left corner for a 2-0 lead.
Maxwell, whose first-half goal was assisted by Megan Hutto, set up Hutto for the Lady Panthers’ third goal with 32:21 left in the second half.
Sydney Bomstad scored with 30:22 left on a long shot to make it 4-0, and Maxwell scored again with another assist from Hutto for a 5-0 lead. It was Maxwell’s third goal of the game and her 42nd of the year, a single-season Lady Panthers record.
“It’s amazing what she does,” Crenshaw said of Maxwell. “(Russellville) even tried to man mark her again today. She still finds ways to score and get open and is just a great kid, great work ethic and just so honored to coach these kids.”
Russellville (13-10-1) spoiled Siloam Springs’ bid for a clean sheet when Rachel Prochazka scored with 13:59 left to cut the score to 5-1.
Just as quickly though, Siloam Springs found the back of the net when Hadley Crenshaw scored to set the game’s final margin.
“It never gets old,” Hutto said.
“It’s always exciting. It’s a big day. It’s a big moment.”
Russellville, which suffered its fourth loss this season to Siloam Springs, battled injuries through the end of the season, and it caught up with the Lady Cyclones on Friday. Starting goalkeeper Onna Collins was among those injured players after rolling an ankle this week in practice.
“Definitely had some legs tired out there,” said Russellville head coach Kelly Young.
Not all of Siloam Springs’ seniors have played on the team all four years to participate in all four championships, but that is the case for Abigail Cole, Mackenzie Jones and Anna Claire Lewis, all starters.
“It’s unforgettable,” said Cole. “I’ll probably never forget this moment. Honestly, when the buzzer went off, I was in tears because I was so happy. Just seeing all of our hard work pay off over the years is just amazing.”
Those seniors also played for three different coaches: Jason Bowen in 2014, Chuck Jones in 2015 and Crenshaw for the last two years.
“They’ve been through a lot of adversity,” Crenshaw said. “I’ve been with them
T hey’ve had three different coaches in four years. So four them to fight through that adversity and keep playing and keep winning state championships is just great for them and says a lot about their character and who they are.
through two years, but they’ve had three different coaches in four years. So for them to fight through that adversity and keep playing and keep winning state championships is just great for them and says a lot about their character and who they are.”
Brent Crenshaw SSHS girls soccer coach