VAN BUREN — After scoring two goals in the junior varsity’s 7-0 win, Madison Humbard came on in the Bryant Lady Hornets’ varsity game against the Van Buren Pointerettes and scored four more goals after the Lady Hornets had already built a 3-0 lead. Anna Lowery had three goals and two assists as Bryant won the varsity match 8-0.
For the Lady Hornets, now 18-0-1 overall, 8-0 in the 7A/6A-Central Conference and 5-0 against 7A members of the league, the victory was their 17th shutout and fifth in a row. It officially clinched the conference championship and the top seed from the league to the Class 7A State Tournament where Bryant will try to repeat as champions.
As the top seed from the Central, Bryant will receive a first-round bye at State, which commences on Thursday, May 12, at Springdale Har-Ber. They’ll play on Friday, May 13, at 10 a.m. against the survivor of a match between the third-seeded teams from the East and the West.
The Lady Hornets will close out the regular season with what figures to be an emotional Senior Night this Friday against Mount St. Mary Academy at Bryant Stadium. Not only will the seniors be playing their final home contest but head coach Julie Long, who has led the program to new heights, will be coaching in her final home match. Long has accepted the position of assistant principal at Bryant High School starting July 1.
Less than a minute into Tuesday’s match at Blackmore Stadium, Lowery had the Lady Hornets on the board off a feed from Kendall Selig. Less than four minutes later, Lowery found the mark off an assist from Sarah Kennedy.
Her third goal came at the 25:00 mark with Britney Sahlmann assisting. Two minutes later, Lowery notched her first assist on Humbard’s first goal, making it 4-0. At the 21:18 mark, Humbard followed a miss with her second goal and, with the first half not quite halfway through, the Lady Hornets had a 5-0 lead.
With 12:09 left in the half, Humbard converted off another feed from Lowery to make it a 6-0 match at halftime, making it a mercy-rule contest.
In the truncated second half, Humbard drilled a shot for her fourth goal off an assist from Sierra Edelmann. With just over five minutes left to play, Mary Catherine Selig finished off the scoring with a goal off a feed from Jessica Butler.
In the JV match, it was Humbard who scored in the first minute. Just over two minutes passed before she drilled a second goal at the 36:51 mark.
Butler added a goal at 30:00 then Natalie Pierce took a turn with Rachel Studdard assisting at the 21:30 mark. Abbie Patton added to the barrage with 15:12 left.
The final two goals were scored by Ashlyn Thompson. The first, at 12:00, was assisted by Mary Leon. The second, at 9:51, was set up by a feed from Patton.
Van Buren was unable to attempt a single shot in either match.
