Bulldogs too much for Bryant in 6A title game
FAYETTEVILLE — Playing for their first soccer state title in school history, the Bryant Hornets boys soccer team traveled to Razorback Field in Fayetteville to face the Springdale Bulldogs for the 6A state championship.
The Hornets (16-3-2) came up short of the title as the Bulldogs (18-2) rolled to a 3-0 win claiming the school’s third boys’ soccer title since 2012.
“There were probably five or six opportunities we could have put on goal,” Bryant Coach Rick Friday said. “Realistically it’s a one to nothing game off a deflection in the first half, but in the end one nothing is the same as two nothing, and is the same as three nothing, so if I kept it tight, we might have still lost, but at least it was a fight.”
The Hornets opened the game with a shaky start when on the Bulldogs’ first opportunity to score ended with
Bryant goalkeeper Codi Kirby bobbling the ball, but was able to recover from his blunder.
The Hornets would get their first chance to score 12 minutes into the first half when Brandon Delgadillo took a shot that sailed high and outside of the goal frame.
The Bulldogs scored a goal with 27 minutes to play in the half, but the goal was disallowed due to an offsides penalty.
Both teams traded shots heading into the closing five minutes. Springdale had an open-goal opportunity with 4:48 left in the half, but Kirby managed to make a diving stop keeping the game drawn 0-0.
The Hornet defense struggled to contain the Bulldogs in the last minutes, but a long ball sent in from a Bulldog midfielder took a bounce off a Bryant player which was then scored. The assistant referee initially signaled for an off-sides, but the middle ref allowed the goal to stand giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead at halftime.
Coming off the break, the Hornets found a corner in the first 90 seconds of the second half. Luis Lara sent a ball in which was then headed on goal by Martin Ramirez, but was saved by the Bulldog keeper.
With 24:34 left to play in the game the Bulldogs missed an open-net opportunity to double their score after the ball bounced off the Hornet cross bar and out for a corner.
The Bulldogs would find their lead-extending goal with 3:45 left to play in the match. They would go on to tack on one more goal, as the Hornets could not contain the aggressive Springdale offense late, ending in a 3-0 loss.
“We haven’t played a team like that all season,” Friday said. “One thing we would like to do more is come up here and play against this competition. Honestly, we could have two or three goals at the end of the first half, it is what it is. You have to learn by stepping in, but we set a standard for the next group coming in. Next year we will retool, but I feel like we can step players in and they will be able to do the same thing.”