SPRINGDALE -- Many athletes have one of those days when they can do no wrong, when reputations are cemented, and stories are later told.
For Fredy Mendez, that day came April 10 at Tiger Stadium in Bentonville.
Profile
Fredy Mendez
SCHOOL: Springdale Har-Ber
CLASS: Junior
POSITION: Goalie
HEIGHT: 5-8
WEIGHT: 179
NOTABLE: Posted a shutout when Har-Ber beat Bentonville 2-0 to end the Tigers’ 26-match win streak … A backup in goal last season to Ben O’Brien, who is a freshman at Ouachita Baptist. … Born in El Salvador and previously football as a club sport.
Mendez was in goal when Springdale Har-Ber defeated Bentonville 2-0 to end the Tigers' 26-match win streak. Raul Umana scored two goals and Mendez preserved the shutout while being battered at times by Bentonville attackers. But the Har-Ber junior turned away all the scoring threats to hand Bentonville its first loss since the semifinals of the 2013 Class 7A state tournament.
The match was also a rematch from last year's state championship match, when Bentonville beat Har-Ber 3-0.
"We really needed a win because we were coming off a loss and they beat us in the finals last year," Mendez said of the shutout over the Tigers. "I did what I could, and I was very happy we won that game."
The road win at Bentonville is Har-Ber's biggest achievement by far this season. The Wildcats (6-5, 5-4 7A-West) have been wildly inconsistent and they lost 6-5 to Rogers Heritage on penalty kicks last week after beating the War Eagles 3-0 earlier this year. Bentonville still leads the 7A-West Conference standings heading into Tuesday's showdown at Fort Smith Northside. The Tigers are 8-1 in the league, while the second-place Grizzlies are 6-3.
Har-Ber hopes to regain some momentum at Rogers High on Tuesday. The Wildcats will then play at Fort Smith Northside Friday before hosting Bentonville in a rematch on May 5.
"Fredy has had a great year," said Har-Ber coach Cory Butler, who coached last season at Tulsa Union. "Bentonville could have scored several goals in that game, but he can up with the save time after time. He's our anchor in the back. He moves very well and gets himself into the right position to make the save."
Har-Ber's inconsistency is nothing new. The Wildcats reached the championship game last year after getting into the state tournament as a No. 6 seed. But Har-Ber has a chance to get hot again, especially with the return of Umana, who sat out Friday's game against Heritage after getting a red card against Fayetteville.
"We played really bad against Heritage," Mendez said of the Wildcats, who return to 7A-West Conference action at Rogers High on Tuesday. "This is not how we usually play. Our team can do better and I can do better, too. We made the finals last year after starting in sixth place and I think we can do it again if we work hard."
Mendez (5-foot-8, 179) was a backup in goal last year after beginning his soccer career on defense. He is active around the net, especially for a big man, and he isn't afraid to rush out to challenge attackers.
"Fredy is very good at stopping goals," said Umana, the Wildcats' top player and leading scorer. "He can stop penalty kicks and he stops shots by coming out of the goal. He's good at everything, really."
Rick Fires can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @nwarick
Sports on 04/26/2015