Benton girls edged in quarters, end an era

SEARCY – After defeating the Paragould Lady Rams 9-0 Thursday in the first round of the 5A State Tournament in Searcy, the Benton Lady Panthers’ season would come to an end Friday in the quarterfinals. The South No. 1 seed Lady Panthers would fall 3-2 to the West No. 3 seed Russellville Lady Cyclones.

The loss snapped a 13-match win streak as the Lady Panthers finish 13-4-2, going undefeated in the 5A South for the conference title.

“We kind of dug ourselves a hole early,” Benton Coach Jason Gentry said. “Didn’t play as fast. We let them get behind us a couple times early and they’re extremely fast. But, I’m incredibly proud of how they played, especially in the second half.”

The Lady Cyclones (16-61) took a 2-0 lead into the half and would get a goal in the second half to take a 3-0 lead, but the Lady Panthers never gave up.

Senior Kinley Ritter scored a goal to make it a

3-1 match before senior Julia Dick scored to get the Lady Panthers right back into the game.

“For any other team, that would have been the dagger,” Gentry said of the 3-goal deficit. “That would have been the time any other team would have quit. It didn’t faze them, they didn’t hang their heads, they just kept playing.

“It was 3-0 and we popped off a couple of goals. The girls fought until the very end. It was physical, the field was mud. We had two or three more opportunities at the goal.”

And other Lady Panthers stepped up when a few key players went down with injury.

“We had some real gutsy

performances out there,” Gentry said. “At one point our keeper Rylie Davis got banged up and had to leave the game. We had to go get Julia Dick. She and another girl got tangled up. There were times we were playing without two of our main starters. And then Kinley Ritter kind of went down, but we had girls step up and play, even if it was for a minute. They stepped in and played as hard as they could.

“I was really thankful for the effort they gave, especially playing selflessly. Madison McVey hadn’t played defense in four years. We needed her to slide into the back line and she stepped up. Deanna Ayres came in a key times and subbed for us. It might have been a minute at a time,

but every little thing they did helped us out.”

It’s an end of an era for the Lady Panthers as this group of 10 seniors led Benton to a 58-20-2 overall record and 37-3 conference mark since their freshman seasons. The Lady Panthers had a 6A runner-up finish last season and reached the semifinals the year before for the first time. Benton will say goodbye to seniors Emily Smith, Kinley Ritter, Deanna Ayres, Rylie Davis, Halle Stringer, Julia Dick, Kati Morrow, Madison McVey, Annah Kate Smith and Hattie Mahoney.

“They finished out their career as the best girls’ soccer team to ever play at Benton, as far as one class,” Gentry said. “I hate they went out like this, but they went out playing like they know how to play. They played hard.”

AK Smith will leave

Benton as the career goals

leader and Ritter as the career assists leader.

For Gentry, it was his last season to coach the Lady Panthers as he will take on another task.

“They’ve moved on to strength and conditioning so this is my last one,” he said. “Good players make coaches look like they know what they’re doing.”

And Gentry noted the

Lady Panthers wouldn’t have had the success without a key volunteer assistant.

“This team wouldn’t be what they are without the help of Chip Bosley coming out and volunteering his time and helping me for the last four years,” Gentry said. “He’s the straw that stirs the drink. He can take what I say and help make those girls understand what it is we’re trying to do. He was a vital part to our success.”