Hornets upend Rockets to open 2013 soccer season
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).
LITTLE ROCK — With four State championships in the last six years and a runner-up finish in[more] a fifth, the Catholic Rockets of Little Rock set the standard for high school boys soccer in Arkansas as much or more than any other program. So, it’s no small feat when your team claims a victory against them.
It’s been a rare accomplishment for the Bryant Hornets, who tangled in the same conference as the Rockets over the last few seasons. This year, the two teams, with Bryant now in the South, opened the 2013 campaign on the Rockets’ new on-campus field and the Hornets came away with a 1-0 win.
After a scoreless first half, Bryant’s Dylan Wolf scored off an assist from Chase Stuart on the right wing with 17:50 left to play and the Hornets made it hold up for the victory.
Bryant head coach Jason Hay was looking to the contest as a measuring stick for his team.
“It was a good first game,” he stated. “When you’ve got so many new guys playing, you want to get an idea. It’s hard to do that scrimmaging against yourself every day.
“I thought our defense played well,” he added. “Dylan Wolf played really well. I thought Bryce Denker did a good job playing through even though he was sick.
“We had a couple of opportunities in the first half to score. We got close but just couldn’t get it in,” Hay mentioned. “Defensively, we didn’t allow many shots on goal. Our defenders really got after it.”
The Hornets play their first home match on Thursday, Feb. 28, against the North Little Rock Charging Wildcats.
