PREP SOCCER REPORT

Confident Mounties hit stretch run

Confidence is running at an all-time high for the Mounties this season as they enter a tough stretch of games this week against the top two teams in the conference.

"They guys are practicing hard knowing what's in front of them, the possibility of what's in front of them, anyway," Rogers coach Stephen Peck said. "I don't think anybody is going to catch Springdale as far as getting first but getting second is still up there. That's what they're shooting for."

Rogers enters the matchups against Springdale High and Bentonville High with a five-game winning streak behind them. The Mounties occupy the No. 3 spot in the 6A-West, and a win against the Tigers would split the season series between the teams, which could bode well for a Mounties team that's fighting for a first-round bye in the tournament.

Peck anticipates his team having a little bit more swagger headed into the week based off how close the Mounties played both teams the first time around even though both ended in losses.

The Mounties had a clean sweep of games last week, beating Fayetteville, 2-1, and Bentonville West, 2-0. Rogers lost to West the first time around conference play by the same score.

Senior forward Francisco "Paco" Jimenez scored once against West and had an assist each game to pace the Mountie offense. Esteban Chavez and Andres Saldiernia each had a goal and assist to contribute in the wins.

"It was kind of neat. I've never had that happen before," Peck said. "Having one guy get an assist and next thing you know, the guy he gave the assist to gives him an assist back. It's kind of interesting that they kind of traded off."

Rogers will face Springdale at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday with the girls' game coming before the boys. The team will then be home again against Bentonville for their game at 5:30 p.m. Friday. The girls will play after them.

VAN BUREN

Pointers battling for No. 3 seed

As his team battles for the No. 3 spot in the 6A-West, Van Buren coach Nate Almond is pretty pleased with how the Pointers' remaining schedule turned out. Three of their last four games are against teams with losing records with Rogers Heritage, Springdale Har-Ber and Bentonville West.

"We got a good part of our schedule coming up," Almond said. "It's hard to have a good part of the schedule when you play in this conference. There are no easy nights, but we're in a good stretch. We're poised to be right there in that 3-4 spot."

Van Buren beat Heritage and Har-Ber the first time around but lost to West, 2-1, after the Pointers gave up a 1-0 lead and scored an own goal to lose the game.

That's the one that haunts Almond the most.

"That's disappointing. That's a game we had them beat 1-0, and we had a mistake on the back line -- a swing and a miss -- and a one-on-one with the keeper to tie it up," Almond said. "Then we scored an own goal to beat ourselves. That was a winnable game that we just let go of on the road."

The loss started a three-game losing streak for the Pointers as they dropped from one of the top teams in the conference to the fourth-best in a span of a week and a half.

The Pointers bounced back from the streak to win both of their games last week, beating Bentonville, 1-1, and Fayetteville, 4-1.

The Pointers' 8-7 shootout win against Bentonville ended when freshman Fernando Romero drilled home the team's eighth penalty kick after the team's goalkeeper Chris Mendoza saved the only shot between both teams in the shootout.

Romero was one of three freshmen along with Isaac Ochoa and Kylan Almond who shot three of the last four attempts for Van Buren.

The main driver behind the team's success this year has been Isaac Delafuente who continued his dominant play this season with three goals against Fayetteville, giving him 29 total. The game was a nice rebound for Delafuente who went through a scoring drought during a The Rogers and West games.

Van Buren will travel to play Rogers Heritage at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, and the girls' game will be played before the boys. The Pointers with then be back home against Har-Ber for their game at 5:30 p.m. Friday. The girls' game will come after them.

GIRLS

ROGERS HIGH

Lady Mounties closing in on title

Rogers extended its winning streak to 11 games to remain undefeated in conference play this season, but Lady Mounties coach Aaron Crouch is frustrated with how his team is finishing games.

Both games last week for Rogers ended in penalty kicks, which are the fourth and fifth time that has happened this season. The Lady Mounties are 5-0 in those games, but Crouch would rather his team win it in regulation.

He's not the only one.

His goalkeeper Mac Brace, who has saved at least one penalty kick in each shootout, had her patience wearing a bit thin after the team's last game against Bentonville West, Crouch said.

Neither team scored in regulation as Rogers had to deal with West playing a compact defense against them, but the Lady Mounties ended up winning 5-4 in the shootout when Haley Arrick scored the winning kick.

Brace has been one of the top performers for the Mounties this season in goal, giving up the second lowest goals allowed in the 6A-West with six.

"I've said this every single penalty kick shootout before even the first one is that, 'Hey girls, Mac is a phenomenal keeper and you know she's going to block one at least, so the fate is in your hands," Crouch said.

Rogers has gotten plenty of experience performing under pressure this season, missing only three penalty kicks, but Crouch admitted that his team's propensity for shootouts is definitely on his mind as they approach tournament time.

"It's definitely something I'm trying to solve, but in reality, the game is theirs, and if they don't do it on the day, then I can't go on the field and do it for them," Crouch said. "On one side, yeah it worries me a little bit, but on the other hand, I know we've worked on them. We're as prepared as we can possibly be for those situations."

The Lady Mounties will travel to Springdale to play at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday with the boys' game coming after theirs. They will then be home against Bentonville, which Rogers beat in a shootout the first time around, at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The boys will play before them.

FAYETTEVILLE

Lady Bulldogs looking to clinch top seed

Fayetteville snapped a two-game skid by beating Van Buren, 8-0, last Friday to solidify its spot as the No. 3 team in the 6A-West. The Lady Bulldogs are three games behind second-place Bentonville which owns a 9-1 record in conference play, but Fayetteville coach Joe Thoma thinks his team can steal one or two quality wins with its remaining schedule to close the gap.

"It's just a matter of going in and getting a couple of goals and play some good defense," Thoma said. "The kids are ready for it."

The team will have its first chance to do so Tuesday for its rematch against the Tigers, who beat the Bulldogs the first time around in conference play, 1-1. That has been a narrative for Fayetteville this season as it has lost four games in shootouts, including losses to Rogers twice, and Thoma is looking to reverse that trend moving forward.

Georgia Templeton and Regan Resz are two of Thoma's players who he expects the team to lean during penalty kicks and ahead of its game against the Tigers, he said.

"Regan and Georgia have been our two offensive leaders," Thoma said. "They're going to have to step up and get after it."

Templeton led the Lady Bulldogs' offense against Van Buren, scoring a couple of goals.

Fayetteville's loss to Rogers last Tuesday capped off a disappointing end for the Lady Bulldogs who led for the majority of the game. The Lady Mounties' Grace Stahr got one past the Fayetteville goalkeeper with six minutes left in the game before the they went onto win 3-1 in the shootout.

Fayetteville will Bentonville at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday with the boys' game coming after the girls. The team will then travel to Springdale to face the Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. with the boy playing after them.

Conference Standings

BOYS

6A-Central

Bryant 9-1

Fort Smith Northside 7-3

Little Rock Catholic 7-3

Conway 7-3

Fort Smith Southside 4-6

North Little Rock 3-7

Cabot 3-7

Little Rock Central 0-10

6A-West

Springdale 10-0

Bentonville 7-3

Rogers 7-3

Van Buren 6-4

Springdale Har-Ber 4-6

Bentonville West 4-6

Fayetteville 2-8

Rogers Heritage 0-10

GIRLS

6A-Central

Conway 10-0

Bryant 9-1

Mt. St. Mary Academy 7-3

Cabot 4-6

North Little Rock 3-7

Fort Smith Northside 3-7

Fort Smith Southside 2-8

Little Rock Central 2-8

6A-West

Rogers 10-0

Bentonville 8-2

Fayetteville 6-4

Rogers Heritage 5-5

Bentonville West 5-5

Springdale Har-Ber 5-5

Springdale 1-9

Van Buren 0-10

Today

6A-Central

Little Rock Catholic vs North Little Rock

Fort Smith Southside vs Bryant

Cabot vs Little Rock Central

Conway vs Fort Smith Northside

6A-West

Bentonville vs Fayetteville

Springdale Har-Ber vs Bentonville West

Van Buren vs Rogers Heritage

Rogers vs Springdale

Sports on 04/23/2019

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