Girls soccer players noted for play in 2016
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).
Led by junior Caroline Campbell, who was named Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year, the Bryant Lady Hornets, champions of the 7A/6A-Central Conference and Class 7A State semifinalists, had 11 players earn post-season honors for the 2016 season.
Along with Campbell, seniors Anna Lowery and Kendall Selig were named all-State by Class 7A coaches. Senior Whitney Brown was picked for the All-State Tournament team while joining seniors Kara Moser, Britney Sahlmann and sophomore Jad’n Nichols on the all-conference team.
Junior Sarah Kennedy and seniors Kayla Dreher and Peyton Ramsey were named all-conference honorable mention.
The Lady Hornets went through the regular-season unbeaten and nearly unscored upon. At 19-0-1, they allowed just two goals. They won 3-1 over Springdale Har-Ber at the State Tournament before losing a bone-crushing contest to eventual champion Bentonville. The game went scoreless through 80 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtimes before being decided on penalty kicks in a shootout by one goal.
The season was the last one in the remarkable career of Julie Long as head coach of the team. Long accepted an offer to become an assistant principal at Bryant High School starting July 1. Since taking over the Bryant program in 2010, the Lady Hornets have compiled a record of 133-31-4 under Long including 102-7-4 over the last four seasons. Bryant won the Class 7A State championship in 2015 and finished runner-up in 2014.
Patricia Harris
I am so proud of the hornets . Especially Jad’n Nichols.I see and.know the hard work she puts inon playing the best and putting all she has in the game. I am a pround Meme.(grandmother)