ROGERS -- Bentonville goalkeeper Ben Barron helped keep Rogers Heritage off the scoreboard in the first half, turning back shot after shot on Tuesday night.
But the War Eagles turned the tables with three goals in less than 10 minutes in the second half to notch a big 3-1 7A-West Conference win over the Tigers in Gates Stadium.
Bentonville (12-4-1, 8-4 7A-West) held a 1-0 halftime lead thanks to Barron's huge effort in goal with 10 saves, including a penalty kick.
But Heritage got the equalizer from Pedro Garcia with 23 minutes, 2 seconds left in the second half. The War Eagles (11-8, 9-4) then added two more goals in about 15 seconds that turned out to be the difference.
Sophomore Chris Cano scored off a deflection with 16:22 left. Forward Erol Banuelos added another from way out at the 16:10 mark for the two-goal advantage that vaulted Heritage into second place in the league, a half-game ahead of Bentonville.
Heritage coach Christhian Saavedra admitted his team was not clicking on all cylinders early in the match.
"I was wondering when we were gonna wake up," Saavedra said. "We were right there, but it just wasn't there for everybody. I just keep believing in my guys. Now, we've just got to focus on Har-Ber. From second to last to second would be a great way to turn it around in a year."
Bentonville coach Mike Devaney wasn't surprised by Barron's strong effort in goal.
"He's the best goalkeeper in the state by a million miles," Devaney said. "We play two sophomores and a freshman in the back four, so obviously we're depending on Ben to bail out a bit of our youth and inexperience and they've got some kids up front who can really play. Fair play to them.
"I think it was a fairly even contest throughout. They had spell in 10 minutes in the second half they scored three goals and as the old cliche goes, goals change games."
Heritage closes out league play at Springdale Har-Ber on Friday, while Bentonville plays Fayetteville. However, the Tigers must also finish a game against Rogers High on Monday that was postponed by inclement weather. Bentonville trails Rogers 2-0 with 18:56 left in the first half.
Girls
Bentonville 1, Rogers Heritage 0
Melanie Matkins scored the lone goal of the match with 19:54 left in the second half in the 7A-West Conference match on Tuesday in Gates Stadium.
Bentonville (15-4, 12-0 7A-West) had more scoring chances than Heritage (13-8, 6-7), but the Lady Tigers couldn't put the ball in the back of the net until midway through the second half. Lauren Hargus blasted a shot off the crossbar, but Matkins was there in front of the goal for the rebound and punched it in for the goal.
The Lady Tigers, who already have a first-round bye in the state tournament locked up, will try to wrap up the 7A-West title when they take on second-place Fayetteville on Friday.
Fayetteville 3, Rogers High 0
Gabbie Foster scored at the eight minute mark of the first half for Fayetteville's only goal before intermission. The Lady Bulldogs then completed their 10th regulation-time shutout in 13 7A-West matches and added two more second-half scores, as Myra Tubb and Hannah Davis completed the scoring for Fayetteville.
The Lady Bulldogs (14-3-1, 12-1) are guaranteed one of the top two seeds from the 7A-West at the state tournament, but could still earn a share of the conference title with a win at Bentonville on Friday.
Sports on 05/04/2016