GIRLS SOCCER

PREP SOCCER: Pall’s 2 goals, assist lead West’s charge

The West’s Lynley Bowen (left) of Farmington and the East’s Meghan Murphy of Little Rock Christian chase a loose ball during the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star girls soccer game on Friday in Conway. The West won 4-0. See more photos at arkansasonline.com/625girlssoccer/
(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
The West’s Lynley Bowen (left) of Farmington and the East’s Meghan Murphy of Little Rock Christian chase a loose ball during the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star girls soccer game on Friday in Conway. The West won 4-0. See more photos at arkansasonline.com/625girlssoccer/ (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)

CONWAY -- This was it for Harrison's Olivia Pall.

She had decided not to further her soccer career, meaning Friday was going to be the last game of her high school career.

At the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star girls soccer game at Estes Stadium on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas, Pall was determined to leave it all out on the field in leading the West to a 4-0 win.

Pall spent the week soaking up everything she could from the All-Star experience, from practicing with some of the best players from across Arkansas to playing out of position throughout Friday's game, doing it all with a smile.

"She had such a great attitude coming in," Bentonville West and West All-Star Coach Kerry Castillo said. "Her willingness to do things the team needed her to do with a great attitude [was great] ... You always love your own kids, so when you get to coach someone like that, that you don't really know well and see what other coaches have poured into them, that's good stuff."

Castillo, whose Bentonville West team won the 2022 Class 6A state championship, has lost count of how many times he has been a part of the state All-Star game. But when asked to return for the first All-Star game held since 2019, he couldn't resist.

"It's just it's so fun," Castillo said. "It's great to give them another opportunity to play and to find some joy on the field with an organized team and with players of such a high caliber."

Pall's willingness to move around the field paid dividends as she scored two goals and assisted Cossatot River's Denise Ruiz for the West's fourth goal to secure the game MVP honors.

"I was glad I got to assist someone else as well, because I love doing that just as much as scoring," Pall said. "I was glad someone else got a goal because they got to leave here with a goal and feel good about themselves as well."

Pall led the Lady Goblins to the Class 4A state semifinals in her final season. Her season didn't end the way she would have wanted, but being involved in three goals, an All-Star game MVP and one last win was an acceptable consolation prize for Pall.

"A state championship [would have been] amazing," Pall said. "But this is just an honor. People pick you to be here, so this was just the top of everything."



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