CLASS 4A BOYS SOCCER

Lizards outshoot, outscore Bearcats

FAYETTEVILLE -- The Dardanelle boys won their first state soccer title in their first attempt, and the Sand Lizards left no doubt about who is best in Class 4A.

Junior midfielder Luis Villegas scored two goals, and Dardanelle (19-1-3) beat Mena 5-0 at Razorback Field.

The Sand Lizards (19-1-3) had a 19-3 shots-on-goal advantage over the Bearcats (16-4).

"They possess the ball really well," Mena Coach Craig Bentley said. "You weren't going to get anything through their feet."

Dardanelle took a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute, as Villegas' penalty kick went to the right past senior goalkeeper Jordan Strickland.

The Sand Lizards dominated the first half, with a 9-1 advantage in shots on goal.

"Our key was just to be patient," Dardanelle Coach Bryan Hardaway said. "Look for our openings and execute. We capitalized on what they give us."

The Sand Lizards went up 2-0 in the 49th minute when Mena senior midfielder Sebastian Martinez turned the ball over, and sophomore midfielder David Rodriguez took the ball, then put it past Strickland.

Freshman forward Pablo Carreon made it 3-0 Sand Lizards in the 60th minute. Strickland tried to corral the ball off a Dardanelle shot attempt, but Carreon took the ball and shot it over the goalkeeper's head into the net.

Dardanelle scored two more times in the final 20 minutes. Rodriguez assisted on Villegas' second goal, which came in the 69th minute for a 4-0 lead. Senior forward Edgardo Mendoza, the team captain, made it 5-0 in the 78th minute.

Senior goalkeeper Reece Tenango had three saves.

Mena reached its first state championship game since 2009 by defeating Monticello, Prairie Grove and Cossatot River in the Class 4A state tournament in Harrison.

"We knew we had a chance to make a run in the playoffs," Bentley said. "We dug it out and made a great run. Not a lot of kids can say they played in a state championship game. We represented Mena well."

Dardanelle joined Hot Springs as first-time soccer champions. The Sand Lizards' only loss in 2016 was to Warren in March, but they defeated the Lumberjacks in the Class 4A state quarterfinals 2-1.

Hardaway said the Sand Lizards were determined to get Fayetteville after losing to eventual Class 4A champion Central Arkansas Christian in last year's semifinals.

Once they defeated CAC 3-0 in this year's semifinal round, the Sand Lizards knew they could win the 4A crown.

"Everybody had a goal this season to get here," Hardaway said. "It means so much for us to be the first soccer team [from Dardanelle] to get to the state championship."

Sports on 05/22/2016

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