FAYETTEVILLE -- The way Bentonville plays defense on the soccer field, one goal can sometimes be good enough.
Thursday was one of those matches as the Tigers kept to their stingy ways, holding Fayetteville out of the net while using one penalty kick score for a 1-0 victory at Harmon Stadium in a nonconference match between the 7A/6A-West rivals.
Prep Soccer
Bentonville 1, Fayetteville 0
Bentonville^0^1^—^1
Fayetteville^0^0^—^0
Second Half
Bentonville — Moehring, 37:13
"We had plenty of opportunities, but we defended really well again," Bentonville boys soccer coach Mike Devaney said. "We limited them there in the second half, but we just weren't very sharp in front of the goal. So in the end, probably 1-nil was a fair result."
The first half was a fairly even draw, with both teams battling for possession for the first 40 minutes. Bentonville's best scoring opportunity came three minutes into the second half when Zac Estrada broke loose in a one-on-one with Fayetteville goalkeeper Matthew Blaylock. On the play, Blaylock rushed Estrada and was called for a foul, setting up the Tigers with a penalty kick with 37:13 left. The shot, taken by Bennett Moehring, easily sailed through the right side of the net for a 1-0 Bentonville lead.
"It was nice to have Foster (Johnson) back, and have his leadership out there," said Fayetteville assistant coach Rick Ternes, filling in for head coach Steve Oliver, who was out of town. "On the penalty, it probably was a PK. I couldn't exactly see it from here."
Fayetteville (5-3) was held to just a few scoring opportunities, most in the first half. When the Bulldogs did come close to the goal, finishing around the net against the Tigers appeared to be a problem.
"We had a couple of good chances," Ternes said. "But to be honest we need more chances.
"This is a good game for us because we got a lot of guys in there that don't normally see the field and that will help their confidence, and we'll need those guys as the season goes on."
Bentonville is off until after Spring Break and returns to action April 4 against Springdale Har-Ber. The Tigers (7-0-1) have already won two tournaments are ride a nice wave of momentum into 7A/6A-West Conference play.
"No doubt we're playing with a lot of confidence and we've defended well," Devaney said. "But we still have a long way to go. We still don't score enough goals to make it comfortable. "I'm happy with the way we've defended, but we need to be sharper in front of the goal."
Fayetteville hosts Rogers Heritage in its conference opener on April 3.
Sports on 03/21/2014