CLASS 7A GIRLS SOCCER

Bryant takes care of Southside

Fort Smith Southside’s Nancy Mendoza (left) and Bryant’s Caroline Campbell leap for a header during Friday’s game in the Class 7A girls soccer state tournament at Bryant.
Fort Smith Southside’s Nancy Mendoza (left) and Bryant’s Caroline Campbell leap for a header during Friday’s game in the Class 7A girls soccer state tournament at Bryant.

BRYANT -- Caroline Campbell and Hadley Dickinson each scored twice to lead Bryant over Fort Smith Southside 5-2 in the quarterfinals of the Class 7A state girls soccer tournament at Hornet Field on Friday afternoon.

Bryant faces Bentonville at 10 a.m. this morning in a semifinal match, which is a rematch of last season's state final.

Bryant (19-2) led 2-1 when Campbell used a crossover move to get free in front of the Southside net for a goal in the third minute of the second half. Campbell later broke free from the Southside defense in the 32nd minute to complete the scoring.

"Caroline plays with so much energy every single game," Bryant Coach Julie Long said. "I have never seen her play without energy. ... Just her presence on the field makes a difference. If she's not the one scoring, she's making a run to get somebody on or she's passing to make the assist."

Campbell assisted on the game's first goal in the ninth minute. Britney Sahlmann received the pass from Campbell on the right side of the box and scored with a shot in the left corner of the net.

Dickinson got Bryant's second goal on a middle kick in the 16th minute.

Southside made it 2-1 in the 36th minute when Laura Bolton scored on a point-blank shot.

"One of the biggest problems we had at the first of the season was to be the first to step to the ball and that was our biggest focus when we watched Southside, because they pass the ball with their midfielders," Long said. "So our biggest thing was that we emphasized on defense was just not let them get to the ball and they did a pretty good job of it. I was pretty impressed."

Bryant led 3-1 early in the second half when Nancy Mendoza scored on a penalty kick in the 10th minute to make it 3-2.

"One thing I told them in the second half was that the score was 0-0 and to come out more fired up in the second half, because their goal came on us pretty easily," Long said. "We talked about the next game didn't matter, just take care of this one first and the girls came out prepared and ready to do that today."

Dickinson got her second goal in the 18th minute of the second half on a breakaway to give Bryant a 4-2 lead. Bryant outshot Southside, 14-7.

"The way that they bounced it around, they could come back quickly," Long said. "Honestly, I was really worried about them, because they are playing really well at the end of the season and they were beating teams like crazy up in their conference."

BENTONVILLE 4, CABOT 0

Five-time defending state champion Bentonville posted 36 shots on goal in a victory over Cabot at Hornet Stadium in the Class 7A girls quarterfinals.

Gia Diaz scored for Bentonville (19-4) in the first 90 seconds for a 1-0 lead. Victoria Mitchell added another goal off an assist from Anna Passmore in the 15th minute for a 2-0 lead, then McKenzie Dixon's penalty kick goal in the 32nd minute provided Bentonville with a 3-0 lead at halftime.

Cabot had the ball in Bentonville territory for five minutes during the first half, and managed four shots on goal for the game.

Dixon added her second goal of another assist from Passmore in the 11th minute of the second half to account for Bentonville's scoring in the game.

Bentonville will play Bryant at 10 a.m. in the first semifinal match on Saturday.

SPRINGDALE HAR-BER 3,

LR CENTRAL 1

Alyssa Rocco scored two first-half goals to lead Springdale Har-Ber by Little Rock Central in the Class 7A girls quarterfinals at Hornet Field.

Rocco scored Har-Ber's first goal in the seventh minute of the first half on an assist from Evie Cannon. Rocco got free of the Little Rock Central defense and scored from 10 yards out in the 29th minute mark for a 2-0 lead.

Raeghan Smithpeters put Har-Ber up 3-0 in the 27th minute of the second half when she stole a ball at midfield and drove around two defenders to score from 5 yards out.

Little Rock Central's goal came at the 30-minute mark when Olivia Hope scored off a corner kick.

Har-Ber (16-6) outshot Little Rock Central 21-6. Har-Ber will play at noon in the semifinals today.

FAYETTEVILLE 3,

MOUNT ST. MARY 0

Gabbie Foster scored two goals to lead Fayetteville past Mount St. Mary in the Class 7A girls quarterfinals at Hornet Stadium.

Fayetteville's first and only score of the first half came in the 28th minute when Cassidy Sykes received a long lob and drove in for a 12-yard goal.

Mount St. Mary had five shots on goal and had a chance to tie the game in the 39th minute when Leah Campbell's penalty kick went high and wide of the goal.

Fayetteville (15-4-1) made it 2-0 when Foster broke free and scored from 12 yards out in the first minute of the second half.

Foster scored again in the 13th minute of the second half on a header off a corner kick for a 3-0 Fayetteville lead.

Fayetteville will play Springdale Har-Ber at 2 p.m. today in the state semifinals.

CLASS 5A BOYS

HOT SPRINGS 4, VALLEY VIEW 3

HOPE — Hot Springs made its second consecutive state semifinal appearance, but it came at a cost. Sophomore striker Erick Guadron scored two goals and assisted on two others to freshman Johnny Gonzales, leading the third-seeded Trojans to a victory over 5A-East top seed Valley View in the Class 5A quarterfinals Friday at Hammons Stadium. But Guadron drew a yellow card near the end of the first half and a second yellow near the end of the second, resulting in a red card that ejected him from the game and suspended him for the next. The game saw two others pick up red cards off second yellows in the final three minutes, forward Julio Solis for Hot Springs and midfielder Seth Vickery for Valley View.

The Trojans (12-5) move on to face 5A-Central top seed Pulaski Academy at noon today at Hammons Stadium.

Guadron appeared to have sealed the victory for Hot Springs in the 75th minute when he put away a Hank Cook feed near the top of the box, doubling the advantage to 4-2. But less than a minute later, the Blazers (14-6) responded with Simon Acosta’s centering pass to Will King around the penalty spot, King not missing on Valley View’s lone second-half shot on goal.

King’s goal also made Hot Springs susceptible to cards for stalling, which Guadron and Solis each received.

Guadron, who has 86 career goals, shot the ball into the net after the whistle and got the second yellow for delay of game.

He got his first yellow in the 39th minute getting into a disagreement with Vickery.

Solis was booked for kicking away a Valley View free kick in the 79th minute after receiving his first yellow for delay of game in the 73rd. The Blazers won a free kick from about 20 yards out with nine seconds left, and Vickery got his second yellow for abusive language, the same violation that got his first yellow in the ninth minute, for Hot Springs wasting time on the kick.

PULASKI ACADEMY 3,

HOT SPRINGS LAKESIDE 2

HOPE — Pulaski Academy scored on their only three shots of the first half, building a big enough lead to hold off Hot Springs Lakeside in the Class 5A quarterfinals Friday on Hope High School’s football practice field.

The Bruins struck first in the 12th minute, but Lakeside (12-8-1) was able to respond to that goal. The Isaac Bodemann-to-Spencer Plumley connection worked one last time, as Plumley scored his 21st goal in the 17th minute.

Pulaski Academy retook the lead in the 23rd minute, converting a corner kick. The Bruins doubled the lead in the final three minutes of the half, leading 3-1 at the break.

Lakeside struggled against Pulaski Academy’s pack-in defense until the 78th minute, when Nikolaj Kejser was fouled in the box. Grant Gartner converted the penalty kick, pulling the Rams within one.

CLASS 4A GIRLS

SHILOH CHRISTIAN 6,

CONWAY CHRISTIAN 0

Caroline Bandy scored four first-half goals for the Saints (14-1), and goalie Hannah McGee recorded her 12th shutout.

Sophomore Harper Whaley opened the scoring before Bandy lifted Shiloh to a 5-0 halftime lead. Junior Jojo Sandefur capped it with a second-half goal.

Sports on 05/16/2015

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