SPRINGDALE -- The soccer rivalry between Springdale High and Springdale Har-Ber was put on center stage at the NWA Showcase on Friday at Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium on Friday.

And the Red'Dogs and Wildcats didn't disappoint in delivering a head-to-head, back-and-forth battle.

Springdale shot out of the gate and went on the attack early. Playing as the aggressor most of the first half, the Bulldogs got an Erick Batres penalty kick score late first period for the game's first goal. Batres added another goal early in the second half that appeared to put the Bulldogs in total control.

But Har-Ber, almost immediately answered, using two Cole Brothers' goals to finish the match in a 2-2 tie.

"We're upset giving up a two goal lead," Springdale coach D.J. Beeler said. "We're early in the season right now and we're trying to learn our lessons as we go. That's a big lesson for us. You cannot give up a two-goal lead, and we're going to try to learn from it as a team, as a staff and get better from it."

Batres' penalty kick put Springdale (2-0-1) up with 10 minutes, 38 seconds left in the first half. His second goal came just minutes following intermission, at the 33:16 mark of the second.

Springdale Har-Ber (4-1-1) didn't panic, however, and went right back on the attack. Brothers' header at the 32:09 mark trimmed the Wildcats' deficit in half. Brothers then followed with a nice charge past the Springdale defense to score from the right side, 10 yards out with 25 minutes on the clock.

"It was a game we anticipated it being, a strong well-fought game," Har-Ber coach Nelson Medina said. "It's a rivalry now and we know how good of a side they are.

"We had a couple of key injuries that kind of hurt us, but I thought some guys came in a filled some spots real well."

Wildcats sophomore defenseman Anthony Caldera left the game after 10 minutes with a injured eye socket. Junior Rolando Sidon also battled an injured knee throughout the contest. But despite the 2-0 deficit, Brothers picked up the slacked and even had a golden opportunity at third goal in the game's 47th minute, only to have a 15-yard attempt kicked away on a diving save by Pedro Delgado.

Springdale also had its chances for a final score or two late in the contest, but had to settle for the tie after seeing most of the scoring opportunities take place before halftime.

"I was pleased with how we settled in after about 15 minutes and pleased with how we started the second half," Beeler said. "But the old saying is you're most vulnerable about five minutes after you score a goal and I think they came back and scored a goal within five minutes of us scoring that second goal.

"So it was just mental mistakes and things we've got to learn from going forward."

Sports on 03/15/2014