Hustle goal wins it for Springdale

6A-WEST BOYS SOCCER SPRINGDALE 1, ROGERS HERITAGE 0

SPRINGDALE — One goal was all Springdale needed to defeat Rogers Heritage on Thursday.

Sophomore Jose Damian scored with 20 minutes, 13 seconds left in the game to give Springdale a 1-0 victory over Heritage in 6A-West Conference action at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium. The win improved the Bulldogs to 5-2-1 in conference play.

Springdale could not get anything past Heritage goalkeeper Nicolas Moreno for much of the match. But Moreno ended the scoreless tie when he got to a loose ball before Moreno, who rushed out to defend the play. Damian, a sophomore forward, then put his foot on the ball and scored from about 10 yards away into an unoccupied net.

“I saw the ball go through (in transition) and I saw the goalie come out,” Damian said. “I decided to go for it and he tried to grab it out of the box. When I got the ball, I tried to stay as calm as possible because it was a wideopen goal.”

Both teams began Thursday with some momentum after league wins on Tuesday. Heritage won 3-0 at rival Rogers while Springdale whipped Fort Smith Southside, 6-1. But neither team could score until Damian provided the one goal that decided the match.

“He took a chance, 50-50, on a though ball and he just hustled,” Springdale coach DJ Beeler said. “He got to the ball first and he was able to put it away. We were happy to see that.”

Heritage put the ball into the net with under 12 minutes to play in the first half but the goal was nullified by an offsides penalty against the War Eagles. Brandon Gallardo had a header earlier that was caught easily by the Springdale goalkeeper and he shot wide of the goal on another kick with 3 1/2 minutes left in the first half.

Damian got a step behind a Heritage defender in the first half for Springdale but his shot was also off the mark.

“We did look a little better in the second half and were in control more of the game,” Beeler said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t turn that into a ton of really good opportunities. But having them pinned back a bit and working pays off over time.”

Conference play resumes on Tuesday when Springdale faces Bentonville West and Heritage tangles with Springdale Har-Ber.