Bryant washes bad taste out of mouth

FAYETTEVILLE -- After losing last year's state title game to Rogers, the Bryant Lady Hornets left town with a bad taste in their mouths.

This time they left with a state championship.

Facing a team that had beaten them twice this season, the Lady Hornets found a way to turn it around and edge the Conway Lady Wampus Cats 2-1 to capture the Class 6A girls soccer state championship Friday on Razorback Field.

Back on April 6, Conway (19-2-1) and Bryant (19-2) went to overtime before the Lady Wampus Cats pulled out the victory on penalty kicks. Then 11 days ago, Conway won 3-2 at Bryant.

"Conway has a great team," Bryant Coach Nicole Inman said. "I honestly think there was more pressure on them coming in here because they had already beaten us twice. We had nothing to lose.

"I told the girls if we come out and win the first five minutes, we would be in good shape. And that's what we did. We came out and got a goal and continued to play hard, which we did in the heat this week after playing in the cold last week. I'm real proud of the ladies for coming out here, working hard and not quitting."

Nicole Fason, one of six seniors on the team, scored both of Bryant's goals and was named the MVP.

"The seniors wanted to win before they graduated, and the other ladies wanted to give it to them," Inman said. "Last year our team had gone through a couple of changes, and we didn't have any seniors that played much except for the goalkeeper. I knew we had another good keeper coming and that we could come back here and win."

All three of the game's goals were scored in the first half. Fason got the Lady Hornets on the board first with a great kick for a goal, kicking from the right side in the box to hit the back of the net on the left side of the goal with 35:37 left in the first half. Ashton Inman got the assist.

Conway scored the game's second goal when junior forward Kailyn Pavatt got a free kick just outside the right side of the box and curved it in over the Bryant defenders and keeper Addison Funk for a goal with 19:21 left in the first half.

Fason scored her second goal on a penalty kick, again finding the back of the net on the left side with 16:31 left in the first half.

After that, it was rare for either team to get a good shot on goal, especially in the second half. In the first half, Bryant had seven shots on goal with six on target while Conway had eight shots with three on target. In the second half, Bryant had seven shots but only one on target while Conway had six shots but none were on target.

Funk finished with two saves while Conway keeper Reagan Graff had six.

The state title is the second for the Bryant and first since 2015. The Lady Hornets were also runners-up the year before winning it the first time.

"I have been surrounded by some wonderful ladies that have served me so well," Inman said. "I have had coaches that have done a lot for me. There are people that never ask for help and want to do things for themselves but I am one those that sign up as many as I can to help. And I think that has helped with our success."

Sports on 05/18/2019

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