Soccer: Estrada's aggressive play a constant for Bentonville

BENTONVILLE -- The situation almost resembled basketball as much as it did soccer Tuesday night.

Bentonville senior forward Zack Estrada tried to establish himself in a certain position so he could receive the ball and either shoot or set up one of his teammates for a shot. Meanwhile, a defender pressed himself against Estrada's back, and the two ended up jockeying each other for that spot on the field.

"Coach (Mike) Devaney has been trying to get me into certain spots on the field so I can get the ball, and he's been doing this ever since I was a forward," Estrada said. "I've always played midfield, so I've always stayed close to my teammates. Now I have to play up top and try to get a little more space.

"The only way to do that is push the defenders back, and I've come to realize they don't want to be pushed back. They'll push you forward, so I guess I made it into a post matchup. Essentially, I'm just trying to get the ball and get my teammates into the game."

That type of aggressive play is something Devaney has grown accustomed to seeing from Estrada ever since he joined the Tigers as a freshman. He immediately earned a spot and in the starting lineup, where he made an impact with some early goals in his career.

Estrada earned all-state honors last year as a leader on Bentonville's state championship team and has scored 20 goals throughout his career. He continues to be a scoring threat as the Tigers have used a more offensive approach this season.

"The first thing that comes to mind about Zack is a great motor," Devaney said. "He just works really hard off the ball to close things down when we're defending, and his movement off the ball is terrific. He's always giving options to his teammates.

"He's super-athletic and can beat people for pace, and he's good in the air. I could go on and on about his versatility. He can play a number of roles. He's comfortable playing up front, can play midfield, can be an attacker at midfield or be a good defensive player at midfield. He does it all and does it brilliantly."

Devaney said the only significant change Estrada has made with his game came with experience and maturity. He was all about power and pace when he joined the team as a freshman, according to Devaney, where now he has become more comfortable playing with his back to the goal, bringing in his teammates and playing combinations with others.

Estrada, however, knows some big changes are on the horizon. His time at Bentonville will soon close in a little more than a month, and he will begin a new chapter in his career since he signed a national letter of intent to play at Fort Hays State in the fall.

"We have 17 seniors on this team, and I've played with 17 guys for four years straight," Estrada said. "Now I'm about to go to a place seven hours away, and I maybe know one person: my roommate.

"It's hit me. It hasn't hit me emotionally yet, but maybe around senior night and the state tournament -- as I realize this will be my last home game or my last game -- it's going to hit me."

Sports on 04/19/2015