SPRINGDALE -- Springdale Har-Ber delivered a wake-up call to North Little Rock on Thursday morning by peppering its net with kicks.
Har-Ber scored its first goal 45 seconds into the match and kept scoring during a 6-0 victory over North Little Rock in the first round of the Class 7A girls state tournament at Wildcat Stadium. Alyssa Rocco had two goals for Har-Ber (8-7), which will play again at 10 a.m. today against Bryant, the defending state champions in Class 7A.
Girls State Soccer Tournament
Class 7A
At Har-Ber Wildcat Stadium, Springdale
Thursday’s results
Match 1: Springdale Har-Ber 6, North Little Rock 0
Match 2: Little Rock Central 2, Fort Smith Southside 1
Match 3: Fort Smith Northside 0, Mount St. Mary 0 (Northside 3-2 PKs)
Match 4: Rogers Heritage 2, Conway 1 (2 OT)
Today
Match 5: C1 Bryant vs. Springdale Har-Ber, 10 a.m.
Match 6: W2 Bentonville vs. Fort Smith Southside, noon
Match 7: E1 Cabot vs. Fort Smith Northside, 2 p.m.
Match 8: W1 Fayetteville vs. Rogers Heritage, 4 p.m.
Saturday
Match 9: Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6, 10 a.m.
Match 10: Winner Match 7 vs. Winner Match 8, noon
Championship
Friday, May 20
at Razorback Field, Fayetteville
Match 11: Winner Match 9 vs. Winner Match 10, 10 a.m.
Elise Reina got Har-Ber started with a goal on Har-Ber's second attempt at the net. Rocco scored at 28:05, and Rozlyn Helms scored 38:10 left to give Har-Ber a 3-0 lead at halftime.
Rocco added a second goal before Har-Ber scored twice within two minutes to take a 6-0 advantage in the second half.
"Our girls were ready to attack, and we did it from the start," Har-Ber Coach Cory Butler said. "To score a goal in 45 seconds is pretty impressive. Then, we knew we had to keep them under pressure and take shots."
North Little Rock (10-8-1) struggled from the outset in all phases of the match. In one sequence, the North Little Rock goalkeeper and a defender failed to secure the ball, and Rocco poked it through the net for a 2-0 lead.
North Little Rock's best chance to score was denied by Har-Ber goalkeeper Megan Lamendola, who rushed out in the first half and disrupted a kick from well outside the net. Lamendola also made some diving saves to keep North Little Rock scoreless.
"Megan played great for us," Butler said. "She knows where to be and what to do as a field player and that helps in goal."
FS NORTHSIDE 0, MOUNT ST. MARY 0 (NORTHSIDE 3-2 PKS)
The Lady Bears played with a defensive mindset, putting extra players on the backside the entire match. The strategy paid off in sudden death with a 3-2 penalty kicks victory over Mount St. Mary. Despite being outshot on goal by more than 10-1 in regulation, Fort Smith Northside got through two overtimes and forced sudden death, where Mount St. Mary would miss three of five attempts high over the goal. Giselle Carerra and Amy Franco scored the final two goals for Northside. The Lady Bears face Cabot at 2 p.m. today in the Class 7A quarterfinals.
FORT SMITH SOUTHSIDE 2, LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL 1
Nancy Mendoza scored with 14:22 left to give Fort Smith Southside its victory over Little Rock Central. Mendoza’s goal broke a tie after Madison Hagen scored for the Lady Rebels (11-10) and Katherine McKenna countered for the Lady Tigers (11-5). Southside advances to play Bentonville today at noon.
ROGERS HERITAGE 2, CONWAY 1 (2 OT)
Bailee Russell scored with 8:23 left in the second overtime period, giving the Lady War Eagles (17-12) the first-round victory over Conway. Conway scored with 35:19 left in the second half on a Hope Ballard goal for a 1-0 lead. Heritage responded quickly with an Emily Seiler goal for a 1-1 tie. The Lady War Eagles face top seed Fayetteville at 4 p.m. today.
Sports on 05/13/2016