ROGERS -- Once Springdale's players found a suitable place near the goal, the soccer ball just seemed to find them in that certain spot Tuesday night.
A trio of Bulldogs made the most of first-half scoring opportunities, and that led to a 3-1 victory over Rogers Heritage in a battle of teams that were unbeaten in 6A-West Conference play at Gates Stadium.
"We started the game quick, which is what we wanted to do," Springdale Coach D.J. Beeler said. "The intensity level was high, and the focus was there. We were able to get the ball into some good spots, and people off the ball showed up and arrived when they were supposed to.
"The service was also good. Overall, it was just a good start to the game, and that sustained us through the rest of the game, even when it got a little crazy there."
Bryan Bartolo gave Springdale (8-1-4, 3-0-1) a lead it never relinquished thanks to his position near the goal. He was able to deflect Jonathan Calderon's pass from the far sideline and into the net with 31:25 left in the first half.
Calderon didn't wait too long to get his turn at a goal, and he didn't waste it. Bartolo rushed toward the goal and had his shot blocked by Heritage goalkeeper Nicolas Moreno, but Calderon was there to score off the rebound from 15 yards out and give the Bulldogs a 2-0 cushion with 28:40 before intermission.
"That was a big key for us," Beeler said. "We felt like we didn't play well in our first conference game, then we had to sit on it because of the open date. We were just chomping at the bit to get out here and start playing again and proved that we can do better.
"You know, goals are hard to come by. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find another one in the second half, but when you usually start that way it's enough to get things done."
The score remained that way until the 14-minute mark in the first half when Springdale was set up for a corner kick. The ball was then deflected right into the path of Jose Damian, who drilled the ball into the net and made it a 3-0 Springdale lead.
Heritage (5-5-3, 1-1-1) picked up its lone goal when Carter Ligi scored on a penalty kick with 5:04 before halftime. A War Eagle teammate had hit the top of the goal with his shot, and Ligi was knocked down by a Springdale player in the box while trying to get a rebound.
Springdale returns to action Friday with a home match against Fort Smith Southside, while Heritage won't play until next Tuesday at Southside.
GIRLS
ROGERS HERITAGE 1, SPRINGDALE 0
Heritage's first shot on goal proved to be the only one it needed as the Lady War Eagles earned their first conference victory of the season.
Hailey Wassman gave Heritage (7-2-2, 1-1-1) its lone goal when the senior slipped past the Springdale defense and shot from the far side of the field into the right side of the goal at the 36:22 mark of the first half.
Neither team had another serious scoring threat after that.