SPRINGDALE -- In a quick flash, momentum swung from one side to the other and Fayetteville took full advantage at Wildcat Stadium on Friday.
The Bulldogs scored three second-half goals in a span of 17 minutes, rallying from a one-goal halftime deficit for a 4-2 win over Springdale Har-Ber in 7A-West Conference play.
Fayetteville (7-7, 3-5 7A-West) made the most of a Wildcats' red card with 17 minutes left in the second half and the match tied at 2-2, going on the attack offensively and turning to Harry Morante for the final scoring push.
Morante sent a shot from 30 yards out through the left side of the Har-Ber net for the Fayetteville lead with 14:42 left, lifting the Purple'Dogs to a 3-2 lead. Then with 5:18 left and Har-Ber desperate for a tying goal, Morante put the match away for good with his second score of the night.
"This is a team game and the other night against Bentonville we played as a team and lost," Bulldogs boys soccer coach Steve Oliver said. "Tonight we played well as a team and won
"Springdale Har-Ber has a couple of really good players and they've got a good team. But we got a couple of breaks that hadn't been going our way."
Fayetteville fell behind in the first five minutes of play when Jesus Zizumbo scored on an assist from Raul Umana for the Wildcats (5-4, 4-3). After the Bulldogs tied the match early in the second half, Har-Ber again regained the lead on an Anthony Caldera score.
But in the final 20 minutes, Fayetteville took over.
A Pedro Delgado goal on a open breakaway tied the match, 2-2, with 18:58 left. Just minutes later Umana was handed a red card that opened the door for Fayetteville's final push.
"Realistically the red card was the difference," Springdale Har-Ber coach Cory Butler said. "It gave them momentum but it also gave them the advantage on the field.
"We were playing well, but they kept fighting hard and never gave up and they took advantage of the opportunities. So congratulations to them for that."
The victory could be a big lift for Fayetteville, which lost to Har-Ber 3-1 in the earlier meeting in conference play at home.
"I think now it's just can we go forward and remain to play as a team," Oliver said. "Again, Har-Ber is a very good team. But we just got some breaks that we hadn't been getting."
Friday's girls match was postponed due to lightning and was rescheduled for May 11.
Vernon Tarver can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @nwavernon.
Sports on 04/18/2015