Lady Bulldogs continue playoff march

LINCOLN —The decision to drop the softball program in favor of a girls soccer team proved to be the right one as the Lady Bulldogs continue their winning streak with a pair of conference victories, one on the road, one at home.

The Decatur Lady Bulldogs currently hold the number three spot in the 3A West, behind number one Green Forest and number two Life Way Christian. So a pair of wins would cement the Lady Bulldogs in third place and a first state playoff berth.

When the Decatur Lady Bulldogs took the field at Wolfpack Stadium in Lincoln April 19, they were ready to fight and fight they did.

At the 21:54 mark in the first half, Lady Bulldog Maria Batres launched the ball past the Lady Wolf goalkeeper for the first goal of the contest and the early lead. Two minutes later, Jasmine Herrera kicked the ball into the net for Decatur’s second goal of the night and a 2-0 lead.

But the Lady Wolves denied the Lady Bulldogs a shutout as, at the 12:11 mark, a Lincoln forward shot the ball past Decatur goalie Adriana Mendoza for their first goal. Excellent goaltending by Mendoza and her Lady Wolves’ counterpart prevented any further scoring in the game. The Lady Bulldogs defeated the Lady Wolves, 2-1, to claim the conference win.

Now it was back to Decatur for the second contest of the week, against the Eureka Springs Lady Highlanders.

For a nice change, the weather was nearly perfect, with temperatures in the upper 60s to lower 70s, clear skies and moderate wind. This was in stark contrast to the cold temperatures and strong winds that plagued outdoor sports for the past six weeks.

The Thursday night contest started in a similar fashion as the Lincoln match two days earlier, with the Lady Bulldogs scoring their first goal of the night at the 21:58 mark of the first half. The second goal by the Bulldogs came with just over three minutes left in the half, giving the Lady Bulldogs a 2-0 lead going into the break.

Twelve minutes into the second half, the Lady Bulldogs hit yet another goal to extend their lead to three. At the 13:13 mark, Decatur hit its final goal of the contest, giving it a 4-0 lead.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Decatur Lady Bulldogs defeated the Eureka Springs Lady Highlanders, 4-0, for the second conference victory of the week.

Decatur retains its number three position in the 3A West standings with four matches left in the regular season.

Westside Eagle Observer/MIKE ECKELS Lorelai Tuinstra (5) uses a chest pass to send the ball away from the Bulldog defended goal during the Decatur-Eureka Springs soccer match at Bulldog Stadium in Decatur Thursday night. After defeating the Lincoln Lady Wolves on April 19, the Decatur team took its second conference contest of the week, 4-0.