Lady Hornets bound for State
EDITOR’S NOTE: In this time of COVID-19, with no sports action, BryantDaily.com will be posting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
BENTON — The Bryant Lady Hornets soccer team qualified for the Class AAAAA State tournament as they advanced to the finals of regional play with a 3-1 win over the rival Benton Lady Panthers on Tuesday, April 23.
The Lady Hornets were scheduled to face El Dorado for the championship on Wednesday, April 24.
Senior Shannon Baker scored two goals and Laura Mackey added another, all in the first half, as the Lady Hornets subdued their rivals.
Mackey scored the first goal off a feed from Sarah Bunten. Bryant dominated, limiting Benton to just three attempts at the goal in the first half. The Lady Mustangs ended up with 13 attempts as J-Lynn Elmore, Paige Breech, Sara Michelle Johnston, Courtney Roach and Kim Nixon took shots along with Mackey and Baker.
Benton didn’t score until late in the game after Bryant goalkeeper Michelle Dinsmore was knocked out of the game, injured when a Benton player ran over her as she was stopping a scoring attempt. Amy Johnston stepped in and with the help of her teammates on defense, allowed just the one goal on the lone attempt Benton could manage.
Sarah Langley came up big defensively with 21 stops to go with a steal. Holly Stone contributed seven stops and Bunten had eight to go with a steal. Roach finished with two steals and two stops and Nixon had two stops and a theft. Breech made two steals and a stop and Johnston, before going into goal, Baker, Brittney Boyer and Emily Dell each had a steal. Boyer also make a pair of stops.
The State Tournament is set to begin in Jonesboro on Saturday, April 27.
