Bryant sweeps Benton
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continue 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).
The Bryant Hornets soccer team scored two goals in the final five minutes of play Friday night to extract a thrilling 4-2 victory over the rival Benton Panthers at Bryant Stadium.
The Lady Hornets, meanwhile, cruised to 5-0 halftime lead then walked away with a 9-1 win over the Lady Panthers.
Both Bryant teams improved to 2-0 on the season going into their toughest tests of the season against Little Rock Central Tuesday at Quigley Stadium.
The Hornets and Panthers were tied at 2 going into the last stages of Friday’s rain-soaked match. With just four or five minutes left, Bryant’s Nick Harbert drove to the right wing where teammate Josh Ault gained control of the ball and beat the Benton goalkeeper with a shot to the opposite side.
The Hornets then sealed the victory with about three minutes left when Max Johnston slammed in a goal off a corner kick.
“That let the ol’ coach relax a little bit,” quipped Hornets coach Bob Williams. “It was a good game. Benton was tough, aggressive and athletic and we had some opportunities earlier in the game that we didn’t take advantage of. But I was glad to see the way the boys stepped it up when the going got tough late in the game.”
The Hornets had established a 2-0 lead in the first half. Thomas Yun kicked in the first goal off an assist from Harbert from the left side of the box. Yun beat the keeper with a kick just inside the far post.
Later, Josh Williams drove from the left wing to the end line, cut in and got the ball to Peter Lehman who booted in.
In the second half, however, Benton rallied to tie with a pair of goals by Ruven Yarbrough leading to the Hornets’ late-game heroics.
For the Lady Hornets, Ashlee Mantooth continued her scoring spree with four goals including three in the first half when Bryant built its 5-0 lead.
Mantooth got the Lady Hornets on the board initially then Laura Bunten’s goal made it 2-0. Mantooth struck again then Amber Wells made it 4-0 before Mantooth’s third goal of the half set the score at intermission.
Mantooth picked up where she left off in the first half with the first goal of the second. Bunton added her second goal of the game then, in the late going, sophomore Lindsey Fulmer punched one in to complete the scoring.
Amy Teeter, with some late relief from Kim Nixon, worked the goal for Bryant, limiting the Lady Panthers to their lone second-half goal.
