Lady Panther soccer: A decade of dominance

One of my favorite photos in Siloam Springs sports history was shot by my pal Bud Sullins on Friday, May 23, 2014, — the afternoon that the Siloam Springs girls soccer team won its first state soccer title.

In the photo, we have a picture of Grace Simpson — who had just scored the game-clinching, state-title-winning penalty kick to beat Mountain Home — running toward a mob of Lady Panther teammates with the biggest smiles you’ve ever seen.

It is a photo of pure, absolute joy.

And that’s what it was like on that overcast afternoon.

Because in that moment, the Siloam Springs Lady Panthers were state champions of Class 6A — an achievement never seen before in the women’s soccer program here.

I don’t think there’s any way that anyone could have predicted on that day what was to follow over the next several years.

Nobody could have predicted that the Lady Panthers would celebrate like this each of the next four years as well, winning a total of five straight Class 6A state titles.

Each one of them was special in their own unique way.

But this photo of the 2014 team — it will always be my favorite.

When I started covering Siloam Springs girls soccer in the spring of 2010, the product on the field was a stark contrast to the boys team.

In 2010, the boys were already an established program, having been to two state finals in 2005 and 2007. The girls, on the other hand, had been moderately successful and reached the state semifinals in 2008, but that’s as close as the Lady Panthers had gotten to a state title.

In 2010, the Lady Panthers’ season came to an end in the first round of the Class 5A state tournament with an upset loss to Little Rock Mills — an absolute shocker.

The 2011 team advanced to the quarterfinals before getting bounced from the postseason and the 2012 team was out in the first round as well.

That leads us into 2013. With five straight state titles from 2014-2018, the 2013 team sort of gets lost in the shuffle a bit.

But that team went on a memorable run in the playoffs at Searcy, including upsetting Greenwood in the quarterfinals and then beating Russellville in the semifinals, to reach its first state final. The Lady Panthers lost that state final to Searcy 3-1, but an argument can be made that it was the 2013 team — along with portions of the teams in 2010, 2011 and 2012, that laid the groundwork for the success for years to come.

It’s been an absolute great time covering Siloam Springs girls soccer over the years.

These trips down memory lane with different sports have been a lot of fun and the girls soccer memories are no different.

The five straight state titles are amazing, but there have been some fun players and coaches to come through as well.

— Graham Thomas is the managing editor for the HeraldLeader. He can be reached at gthomas@nwadg.com. The opinions expressed are those of the author.