Photos courtesy of NWA Media/Jason Ivester
FAYETTEVILLE — An inch further or a second later.
Bentonville’s Gia Diaz (left) and Bryant’s Kara Taylor vie for a header on Saturday, May 24, 2014, in the Class 7A championship game at Razorback Field in Fayetteville. (Photo courtesy of Jason Ivester/NWA Newspapers LLC)
The Bryant Lady Hornets trailed the Bentonville Lady Tigers, 1-0, in Saturday morning’s Class 7A State championship soccer match at the pitch in Razorback Field.
Just less than the midway point in the first half, the Lady Hornets were in the midst of an attack that drew Lady Tigers’ keeper Gabby Miller away from the box. In a cluster of players, somehow Bryant’s Anna Lowery got a shot through towards the open goal. She didn’t get a lot on the kick but there seemed to be no one close enough to stop it from rolling into the goal.
But out of nowhere, Bentonville defender Morgan Freehling dashed in and, just as the ball was reaching the lip of the goal, booted it clear.
Again — this time with time running out at the end of the match — Lowery got a shot off a corner after Miller had pressed the ball out of the box. And again the ball was about to trickle into the open net only to have Freehling appear and boot it away.
The latter excruciatingly close — tantalizingly close — call came with 1:33 on the clock as Bentonville was trying to hang on to a 3-2 lead. Freehling’s plays robbed the Lady Hornets of two goals that would’ve turned the tables but, as it was, the Lady Tigers held on to capture the State crown in a battle befitting a championship match.
Had the ball been another inch further before Freehling got there or had Freehling been a second later, the championship might’ve been Bryant’s
“She deserved the MVP,” said Lady Hornets’ head coach Julie Long, referring to Freehling. “She deserved every bit of it. We would’ve won if she hadn’t done that.
“Bentonville’s a great team,” she stated. “We knew that going in and we knew we were going to have to play well. We played well. They played well. They came out on top today.”
Not only was it the Lady Hornets first loss of the season (they finish 23-1-2), it was the first match all year that they surrendered more than one goal, including a 0-0 tie at Bentonville in an early-season tournament.
The Bentonville program has set the standard in girls soccer in recent years. This is their third consecutive title. The Lady Tigers were runners-up in 2011 and, before that, won championships in 2010, 2009 and 2007. They’ve played in six title games in a row.
Bryant was playing in its first and, for just a few minutes, it looked like Bentonville’s experience was definitely an advantage. But the Lady Tigers only managed one goal less than four minutes before the Lady Hornets found their footing. Lauren Hargus found the upper right-hand corner of the goal just beyond the reach of the leaping effort by Bryant keeper Maggie Hawkins.
Kara Taylor had a shot on goal for the Lady Hornets at 24:35 but Miller saved it. Moments later, Freehling denied Lowery of a goal for the first time.
Bryant’s Callie Schalk slides the ball from Bentonville’s McKenzie Dixon on Saturday, May 24, 2014, in the Class 7A championship game at Razorback Field in Fayetteville. (Photo courtesy of Jason Ivester/NWA Newspapers LLC)
Around the 18-minute mark, the Lady Tigers were awarded a corner kick. Victoria Mitchell headed it in to give her team a 2-0 lead.
“I don’t know. Those two goals are just kind of something that just happened,” Long said. “It was kind of weird. It wasn’t anything I felt like where we had a major breakdown. I mean, the corner was probably a breakdown but I don’t think we left (Mitchell) unmarked. But that first goal I just don’t think we were ready for it, quite.
“After that I felt like my girls played as good as they possible could,” she added.
Freshman Caroline Campbell got Bryant on the board at 5:44. Kara Taylor had a nice assist.
Campbell got another shot at 3:22 but Miller was there and it was 2-1 at the half.
The Lady Hornets came out aggressively in the second half and Taylor caught Miller out away from the goal but her shot sailed.
Both teams had chances after that but didn’t seriously threaten until the Lady Hornets had a corner kick with just over 23 minutes left. In a crowd in front of the goal, Rori Whittaker managed to get her head on the ball. It deflected right to Taylor Matthews who headed it in, drawing the Lady Hornets even, 2-2.
But, with 19:50 to play, Bentonville star McKenzie Dixon made a strong charge and scored to put her team back on top.
Miller had a save at 13:17 and Hawkins countered with one at 12:31. Bentonville threatened again inside 10 minutes but Hawkins made a nice save to keep it 3-2.
It was a scramble after that until Bryant’s corner kick in the final two minutes that led to Freehling’s game-saver behind her keeper.
Long lauded her seniors who combined to go 59-10-3 in three seasons, 76-20-3 in their four years.
“This has been a truly amazing group,” she said. “All season long, they just refused to lose and refused to lose, over and over again. As a coach, they made my job easy.
“This was just a special year,” she continued. “They fought for it and what you saw today is about how it’s been all season. They get down 2-0. It doesn’t matter. They’re not going to quit. They fight to the end.
“I’m proud of them,” Long concluded. “You can’t be upset with that kind of season but, obviously, the win would’ve been nice; not taking anything away from Bentonville. They’re a phenomenal team.”
