Short-handed and road weary, Hornets find a way past Panthers
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).
SILOAM SPRINGS — With five starters out and after a long bus ride, the Bryant Hornets found a way with three second-half goals, to knock off the Siloam Springs Panthers, 3-0, in the the Hornets’ 7A/6A-Central Conference opener on Friday night.
Jhorman Cruz, Martin Rameirez and Victor Fuentes found the back of the net for the Hornets who improved to 7-1 overall.
The Panthers came in with a 5-1 mark including a 4-1 win over league rival Van Buren earlier in the week.
“Very proud of the win,” stated Hornets coach Jason Hay. “Very long road trip, cold, wet, five starters out — several guys stepped up big when we needed them. I could not be more proud of how the boys played.”
Hay lauded the play of Davis Toler, Ramon Aguilera and Luis Lara along with Fuentes.
“Luis stepped up big playing forward,” Hay emphasized, noting that starting forward Ricky Barrientos may be out for four weeks or more with an ankle injury.
The first week of that will be Spring Break for the Hornets. They are set to return to action on Tuesday, March 29, with a trip to North Little Rock for a non-conference match. They’ll get back to league play at Greenwood on Friday, April 1.
