VAN BUREN — Britney Sahlmann and Caroline Campbell each finished with three goals as the Bryant Lady Hornets enjoyed a 7-0 victory over the Van Buren Pointerettes in 7A/6A-Central Conference soccer action on Tuesday night.
It was the eighth shutout in 14 matches for Bryant, now 13-1 overall. The Lady Hornets improved to 4-0 in conference play and, most importantly, 3-0 against the other 7A teams in the league. Only 7A conference games count towards qualifying for the State Tournament, which will be hosted by Bryant May 14-16.
“I was very pleased with the girls’ passing,” said Lady Hornets coach Julie Long. “I thought the first half, we didn’t have that strong desire to score. However, I felt our passing was spot on and we worked hard.
“I was proud of how well all the girls played,” she added. “The ones who came into the game kept the same intensity the whole time.”
In addition to Sahlmann and Campbell, Jessica Butler scored for Bryant, which led 3-0 at the half.
Sahlmann opened the scoring midway through the first half, heading in a goal off a corner kick by Kendall Selig. Two minutes later, Campbell found the range with Hadley Dickinson picking up the assist.
At the 11:55 mark of the first half, Campbell took a feed from Allison Hughes and found the back of the net.
Campbell pounded her third goal on a follow shot less than four minutes (36:44) into the second half. At 35:03, Sahlmann took a corner from Selig again and headed it past the keeper to make it 5-0. The flurry continued at 34:34 when Sahlmann picked up the carom off a teammate’s shot and drilled her third goal.
Butler scored with 3:30 left with Sarah Kennedy earning the assist.
Van Buren mustered very few shots on goal. Bryant keeper Maddie Hawkins had one save.
“Overall, I was pleased with the girls,” Long said. “But, as a coach, I will always find things we need to get better at.”
Next up for Bryant is a trip to Russellville for a 6A league match with the Lady Cyclones on Friday. The meeting will complete the first round of the home-and-home conference schedule.
