RUSSELLVILLE — They got better as it went along.
Competing in a jamboree with Russellville and Cabot Friday night, the Bryant Lady Hornets overcame a slow start and wound up beating Russellville 2-0 over two 20-minute halves then shutting out Cabot 3-0 in a second 20-minute session.
The Lady Hornets are officially set to open the season on Monday, March 4, at home against Little Rock Christian before they travel to Fort Smith next weekend for a tournament. They’ll take on Van Buren first on Friday.
“We really came out nervous, which is expected in the first game of the year,” said Lady Hornets coach Julie Long. “The first half, we didn’t score. We had some good looks and some shots on goal. The second half, we came out and scored two pretty quick.”
Freshman Caroline Campbell scored the first goal then Rori Whittaker scored the second one over the first 10 minutes of the second half.
“We were nervous but once we settled in and started playing a little more like we normally play, it was pretty good,” Long said. “The biggest thing was we just needed to be a little more patient offensively. The first half we just kept trying to push and push and push the ball and you just can’t do that.
“Finally we settled down and moved the ball around until we created some good opportunities,” she added. “That was definitely a positive.”
Against Cabot, the Lady Hornets scored within the first two minutes then added two more goals before the 10-minute mark.”
Campbell scored the first goal. Jacie McMahan put in the second and Whittaker scored the third.
“I’m pleased with where we’re at right now,” Long said. “By all means, we have a ton to work on to get better. As far as our ball movement and stuff, it’s looking fairly decent especially where we are in the season.
“I was actually really pleased that whenever I subbed I really didn’t feel like we dropped off very much,” she added. “I felt like we pretty much stayed the same. That was kind of pleasant to see tonight that I’ve got a good solid group that can play, can pick up the slack if somebody’s not having a good game or they’re off that night.
“That will also help them to continue to push. It basically means that they’re constantly pushing each other through the whole season.
“Overall it was pretty good night except for the fact that we just came out really nervous,” she concluded. “I talked to the girls after the game and I told them that every game we’re going to focus on something that we’re going to get better at. I think probably one of our biggest focuses is to be calm and be patient and wait on our opportunity instead of just constantly trying to create them with every single pass. If we just be patient our opportunities will come up.”
