BRYANT, Ark. — Bryant Hornets soccer coach Jason Hay didn't want to make too fine a point out of it but he still wonders what may have changed if his team's goal in the first few minutes of play against the Little Rock Catholic Rockets on Tuesday, March 31 had not been waved off.
It was just four minutes into the match when the Hornets thought they had a goal off a corner kick only to have the officials, on a bit of a delayed ruling, decided that the Hornets had interfered with the Catholic keeper, preventing him from making a play on it.
Hay vehemently protested the call but it stood. The Rockets, a perennial state-wide power, scored soon after and the Hornets countered to tie it on a penalty kick by Reed Evans. "He got mauled down there in the penalty box," Hay noted.
Catholic, however, added two more before the half and went on to win 5-1.[more]
"We didn't interfere with their keeper," Hay said. "Still, it was tied 1-1 30 minutes into the first half. It was 3-1 at the half and it stayed 3-1 until about 10 minutes to go in the second half.
"We played hard, we played physical and it was closer than the score indicates," he asserted. "We just ran out of gas against a good opponent. We played as hard as we could've played, I think. We just got out-gunned.
"I don't know if the early goal would've changed the outcome," Hay added, "but it sure would've helped for us to score that quick, that early, against Catholic. It's just the momentum that it creates."
The Hornets were without starting defender Aaron Prewitt who picked up a red card in the previous match. "He's our speed guy in the back and that kind of hurt," acknowledged the coach.
"All we can do is keep playing hard and get better," Hay concluded. "We're still trying to make the playoffs."
Catholic remained second to only unbeaten Conway in the conference. "There's the 2007 champions and the 2008 runner-up," Hay noted.
The Hornets, 6-5 overall and 1-5 in the league, hope to avenge a home loss to Van Buren when they travel west for the re-match on Thursday, April 2.
