BENTONVILLE -- Lauren Hargus led Bentonville High's girls soccer team in scoring this spring, but she never considered herself the team's "go-to" player.
She considers herself just one of the girls, and that suits the Lady Tigers' forward just fine.
At a glance
State girls soccer tournament schedules
Class 7A
at Fort Smith Southside
Thursday
Match 1 — W4 Rogers High vs. C5 Bryant, 10 a.m.
Match 2 — C3 Little Rock Central vs. W6 Springdale High, noon
Match 3 — C4 Fort Smith Southside vs. W5 Rogers Heritage, 2 p.m.
Match 4 — W3 Springdale Har-Ber vs. C6 Conway, 4 p.m.
Friday
Match 5 — C1 Cabot vs. Match 1 winner, 10 a.m.
Match 6 — W2 Fayetteville vs. Match 2 winner, noon
Match 7 — W1 Bentonville vs. Match 3 winner, 2 p.m.
Match 8 — C2 Mount St. Mary vs. Match 4 winner, 4 p.m.
Saturday
Match 9 — Match 5 winner vs. Match 6 winner, 10 a.m.
Match 10 — Match 7 winner vs. Match 8 winner, noon
Class 6A
At Siloam Springs
Thursday
Match 1 — Marion vs. Texarkana, 10 a.m.
Match 2 — Benton vs. Little Rock Hall, 10 a.m.
Match 3 —El Dorado vs. West Memphis, 2 p.m.
Match 4 — Jonesboro vs. Greenwood, 2 p.m.
Friday
Match 5 — Siloam Springs vs. Match 1 winner, 10 a.m.
Match 6 — Mountain Home vs. Match 2 winner, 2 p.m.
Match 7 — Searcy vs. Match 3 winner, 10 a.m.
Match 8 — Russellville vs. Match 4 winner, 2 p.m.
Saturday
Match 13 — Winner Match 5 vs. Match 6 winner, 10 a.m.
Match 14 — Winner Match 7 vs. Match 8 winner, 2 p.m.
CLASS 5A
at Jonesboro
Thursday’s 10 a.m. games
Match 1 — LR Christian vs. Hot Springs at Jonesboro
Match 2 — Maumelle vs. Paragould at Nettleton
Match 3 — De Queen vs. Beebe at Brookland
Match 4 — Batesville vs. Greenbrier at Valley View
Thursday’s 2 p.m. games
Match 5 — Valley View vs. Vilonia at Valley View
Match 6 — HS Lakeside vs. Sylvan Hills at Brookland
Match 7 — Harrison vs. Nettleton at Nettleton
Match 8 — Pulaski Academy vs. Hope at Jonesboro
Friday’s 10 a.m. games
Match 9 — Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner at Valley View
Match 10 — Match 3 winner vs. Match 4 winner at Nettleton
Friday’s 2 p.m. games
Match 11 — Match 5 winner vs. Match 6 winner at Valley View
Match 12 — Match 7 winner vs. Match 8 winner at Nettleton
Saturday’s games at Valley View
Match 13 — Match 9 winner vs. Match 10 winner, 10 a.m.
Match 14 — Match 11 winner vs. Match 12 winner, 2 p.m.
Class 4A
at Batesville
Thursday’s games
Match 1 — Little Rock Episcopal vs. Gentry, noon (North Complex)
Match 2 — Pulaski Robinson vs. Heber Springs, noon (North Complex)
Match 3 — Berryville vs. eStem, 10 a.m. (North Complex)
Match 4 — Batesville Southside vs. Baptist Prep, noon (Batesville Southside)
Match 5 — Riverview vs. Arkadelphia, 4 p.m. (North Complex)
Match 6 — Dardanelle vs. Monticello, 4 p.m. (North Complex)
Match 7 — CAC vs. Brookland, 4 p.m. (Lyon College)
Match 8 — Warren vs. Shiloh Christian, 4 p.m. (Batesville Southside)
Friday’s games
Match 9 — Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4 p.m. (Batesville Southside)
Match 10 — Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, noon (Batesville Southside)
Match 11 — Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, noon (Lyon College)
Match 12 — Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 4 p.m. (Lyon College)
Saturday’s games
at Batesville Southside
Match 13 — Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 2 p.m.
Match 14 — Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12, 4 p.m.
"This year, I think we have more than one star player, and we work together more," Hargus said. "There's not just one person who is a constant scorer. There's a lot of people, and I feel that's helped our team chemistry a lot. We can rely on each other and know we're there for the extra pass.
"It's a lot of weight off my shoulders. I know I can just play my game, and even if I have an off game, I know somebody will be there. I still try my best, but it's good knowing there's another person I can rely on, too."
In addition to her scoring, the 5-foot-10 Hargus proves she will dish off the soccer ball as much as she can shoot it. In addition to her team-high 27 goals, she also leads Bentonville with 21 assists heading into Friday's quarterfinal match as the Lady Tigers attempt to repeat as state champions and claim their fifth state title in six years.
Meanwhile, she still manages to maintain the same kind of composure she had when she joined the team as a freshman three years ago.
"Calm, cool and composed," said Bentonville coach Kristina Henry about Hargus. "That's how she plays. I saw it before she even hit high school. I got to watch her play a couple of years in club soccer at a high level.
"I saw it then -- her composure while playing against older players, at a higher pace and playing within herself. That told me a lot about what was to come."
Hargus has split her four years between soccer and basketball -- a rarity that Henry has rarely had to deal with in previous years. Once Bentonville's girls basketball team end its season, Hargus quickly makes her way to the soccer field, where her teammates may already have some matches under their belt.
She admits it takes her a little while to get back into the flow of a soccer match, but she recorded hat tricks in two of Bentonville's first four matches this season. She won't have that problem in the fall at Central Arkansas, where she signed a national letter of intent with the Conway school.
"It's going to be different," she said. "I'm going to be doing soccer in the offseason for the first time. I've never done soccer offseason because I've always had basketball. I think it will definitely help my soccer a lot more because I'll get more soccer in.
"I think if I would have just played soccer, I would have probably been better than I am now because I miss so much in the offseason. The first week back, we usually have a game, and it's difficult knowing I can't pick up the ball and start dribbling. I try to work on my soccer skills at home, but it still likes a little bit of time."
Sports on 05/11/2017