Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Wolves’ 5-Game Win Streak Stopped
LINCOLN BOYS MAKING NOISE IN 3A SOCCER
LINCOLN — Lincoln’s five match winning streak in boys soccer ended with a 5-3 loss at Green Forest Thursday.
The Wolves were 7-4 coming into this week and coach Mason Wann knew going in the match would be another big test. He was hopeful the Wolves could continue to keep playing well on grass as they did in their 5-match winning streak.
“We definitely play a lot better on our field on turf but our guys do a pretty good job of not complaining too much and just playing. They play hard. A lot of them have played a lot of soccer and played on a lot of surfaces,” Wann said.
The Tigers jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first half and the best Lincoln could do was match them goal for goal in the second half.
Senior Rafael Regalado- Pena scored three goals on six shots bringing his team-high season total to 22. Tsimtxhua Vang assisted on two goals while goalkeeper Jakkson Grisham stopped 27 shots on goal. Vang has scored 10 goals this season while Gonzalo Perez has nine. Francisco Soto has three goals, Caleb Karnes has two and Jobany Madera, Federico Madera, and Peyton Grisham each have one goal this season.
Lincoln lost 1-0 at Decatur on March 17, but got a rematch at home in Wolfpack Stadium on Tuesday, April 19. In between those matches Lincoln forged a 5-match win streak in boys soccer.
“We came back from break and we won five straight since Spring Break. We had a tough little stretch there before the break against Green Forest and Decatur,” Wann said.
Lincoln opened the season on Feb. 28 against Bergman and won 8-0, then dropped a disappointing 3-2 loss on March 8 at Haas Hall Academy.
One of the challenges facing the Wolves comes on the road when facilities aren’t always as good as what Lincoln has. At home the Wolves play on turf and can train indoors on turf if necessary in bad weather.
On the road the Wolves encounter playing surfaces which aren’t as good as what they’re accustomed to practicing and playing on at home. Wann says that is a major reason why the Wolves seem to play better at home.
“We play better on turf. Our guys complained about it earlier in the year, but they’ve definitely adapted and gotten better during the year. Our second game of the year was at Haas Hall and our guys were having trouble adjusting to that. We took a one point loss but we’ve bounced back,” Wann said.
The Wolves blanked Lifeway Christian, 6-0, on March 10 and avenged an earlier loss to Haas Hall by routing them at home, 6-2, on April 13.
“They beat us when we went up there by one and then when they came down here our kids really wanted to win that one really bad and we just play a lot better at home and put it together and kind of broke away from them in the second half,” Wann said.
The team relies on a mix of solid seniors and underclassmen. Senior A.J. Garner, fresh off the football and basketball seasons, also runs track.
“We got him to come out this year and play for us. He’s been solid on defense. He’s been pretty good especially for a first year guy,” Wann said.
Gonzalo Perez is getting a lot of assists, while brothers, Federico and Jobany Madera, do really well. Juniors, Caleb Karnes and Francisco Soto, work effectively in the midfield, controlling and helping get the ball up. They also do a good job of getting downfield, back and forth on offense and defense Wann said.
A major factor has been the consistent play from junior Jakkson Grishman in front of the net.
“Our goalkeeper’s been really, really good this year. We’ve had two big games where we’ve had shutouts and could have been shutouts in a couple more matches where we
put in some of our younger guys on defense. He’s been awesome this year,” Wann said.
Vang had four goals in the first half in a 9-0 victory on March 29 against Lead Hill. The Wolves beat Eureka Springs 3-1 on April 5 with Vang scoring two goals. He got a lot of shots on goal, Pena had the other goal. Grisham had at least 13 saves.
According to Wann, “It was a good game” with a lot of back and forth trying to get a goal.
“They were a good team. I was impressed by them. T. Vang got a ton of shots on their guy and their goalie he was really good. He had a lot of saves as well. They played us really close,” Wann said.
Wann hails a solid group of ninth graders including Ruger Remington, and Robert Kearney, both of whom can play pretty much anywhere. Kearney played forward on a club team last year. Now he’s playing defender and some midfield while contributing to the Wolves’ success.