Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Lady Tigers repeat
Nelson stars in Bentonville’s softball championship sequel.
BENTONVILLE — If Kristina Henry noticed a hole in Bentonville High’s girls soccer lineup over the past four years, there is a good chance that Emma Welch was considered the one to fill the void.
The senior has played a number of positions during her time with the Lady Tigers. Welch started her career as an attacker, then she was moved to a defender role last year. This year, Welch has been a solid fixture as an attacking midfielder.
While some players don’t like the idea of moving around a lot, Welch has relished the number of ways she could be used.
“I like it, honestly,” Welch said. “I like to know my coaches have faith in me that I can perform on all areas of the field. Sometimes it can be stressful because you have to drastically change between midfield and defense.
“In the beginning, it can
be a little rough with the change. Once you get used to it and into the flow of the game, it becomes easier and I like for my team to be able to rely on me. If somebody can’t do it, then I can step in and do it.”
At 5-foot-5, Welch is undersized compared to most players she goes against in the midfield, but that doesn’t stop her. She ranks second on the team in goals scored (14) and assists (12), including a hat trick in a March 17 match against Van Buren and a fourgoal performance March 31 against Springdale High.
What she doesn’t bring to the team in size, she makes up for it with a great knowledge of the game, as well as a person who can dictate the pace when necessary. Even though Welch has signed a national letter of intent to play at Harding next year, Henry truly believes the Lady Tigers’ co-captain has the talent to play and succeed on the NCAA Division I level.
“She’s an intelligent player,” Henry said. “To be able to do that with a player — move her around to where we need her
— there’s a soccer intelligence they need to have so they can quickly adapt to all those positions.
“We moved her to midfield this year because of her pace and her speed of play. You’ve probably seen it in some of our games — she wins the ball in our defensive end, and she has the ability to drive forward and change the shape of the field because she can go forward quickly. She’s swift with the ball and other teams have to deal with that.”
Welch will be one of seven seniors who will play their last match for Bentonville this afternoon when the Lady Tigers take on Cabot in the Class 7A state championship at Razorback Field. A win would give those seniors three state titles during their four-year tenure at Bentonville.
“I’ve thought a lot about it, actually,” Welch said. “I’m pretty nervous about it, but at the same time I’m excited to be able to go out with my team and go out one more time.
“It’s been fun this year with this group of girls. We’ve become really close, and I think this year has been the best as far as chemistry goes. I’ve thought a lot about as a team how we’ve performed, and I think everyone has.”