Soccer: Bentonville Beats Springdale High

 STAFF PHOTO JASON IVESTER Bentonville players celebrate following the goal by junior Spencer McMillon, center, during the second half on Saturday during their Class 7A semifinal match against Springdale at Harmon Field in Fayetteville.
STAFF PHOTO JASON IVESTER Bentonville players celebrate following the goal by junior Spencer McMillon, center, during the second half on Saturday during their Class 7A semifinal match against Springdale at Harmon Field in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Bentonville's undefeated season lives on.

The Tigers are headed to the Class 7A state championship after an impressive 3-1 win over Springdale High in the state semifinals at Harmon Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

How They Scored

Prep Soccer

Bentonville 3, Springdale High 1

Springdale^1^0^—^1

Bentonville^1^2^—^3

First Half

Bentonville — Howard, 26:36

Springdale — Castro, 4:44

Second Half

Bentonville — Estrada, 14:21

Bentonville — McMillon, 6:49

Bentonville (16-0-1) earned its third win in as many games against Springdale (13-5-2) this year, ending the Bulldogs' season a game shy of their third consecutive title game appearance. Bentonville will have a chance to claim the state championship noon Saturday at Razorback Field against Springdale Har-Ber.

"I told them to enjoy it the next few days, then we'll go back to work," Bentonville coach Mike Devaney said. "The season's not over. We've got a terrific opportunity next weekend to finish off what would be a very remarkable season."

The match was tied 1-1 with less than 15 minutes remaining when Bentonville junior Zack Estrada's header off Bennett Moehring's free kick put the Tigers ahead for good. Junior Spencer McMillon's goal at the 6:49 mark gave Bentonville's strong defensive unit breathing room down the stretch.

"The way Springdale was set up, we had a numerical advantage," Devaney said. "We got some more opportunities. We obviously talk about scoring goals, but if you'd have told me we'd score three goals today, I certainly would have thought that was rather generous."

Springdale scored its lone goal on Roberto Castro's header with 4:44 left in the first half, shortly after Springdale lost senior Erick Batres, who scored seven goals the previous four matches, to a left hamstring injury. Batres couldn't return.

"Especially (hurts) when you're down," Springdale coach D.J. Beeler said of not having Batres. "When you need a goal, you've been able to see what he's done for us this year. It's just a hamstring issue he's been dealing with all year. In this format there was no time to rest and it just ended up catching up to him and wore out."

Springdale had trouble stopping Bentonville's set pieces all day. Josh Howard and Estrada scored the Tigers' first two goals off Moehring free kicks.

"We've got a kid who can strike the ball and put us in good situations," Devaney said. "And we've got kids that are good in the air."

Springdale earned their seventh consecutive top-two finish in conference play this season, but 13 Bulldog seniors finished their careers a game shy of a third straight title appearance.

"It was a good season," Beeler said. "These seniors have experienced probably more success than anybody at Springdale with two state final appearances and two semifinal appearances. They're walking away with a ring. The tough thing about Springdale is the standars are really high. We're not measured by semifinal appearances and second-place finishes. We're measured by state and conference championships. We fell short this year, but, typical coach, I'm already on to next year."

Bentonville still has the championship showdown left. The Tigers will face a Har-Ber team it beat 1-0 in a makeup match on May 13 to cap a perfect 7A/6A-West Conference season.

"We have to be incredibly well organized defensively," Devaney said. "They've got some really skillful players. And then we have to be opportunistic when we get our chances."

Sports on 05/18/2014

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