TEXARKANA — A night after facing one of their biggest challenges of the season in a 1-1 tie with the Searcy Lions, the Bryant Hornet soccer team made the trip to Texarkana and forged a 4-0 win to improve to 12-0 against the league.
Now 14-4-1, the Hornets got two goals each by Dylan Wolf and Evan Caddy in the victory but the wear and tear of a full week and the long trip took its toll, according to Bryant coach Brett Haugh.
“We played sloppy the whole time,” he said. “We didn’t do anything really correctly but, you know, after the toughest game we’ve had in a long time, the boys are tired. Their legs are tired. We had the long trip.
“They found a way to get it done and that’s good,” he related. “This week was tough. We played four games this week with not a whole lot of practice.”
The Hornets have two final league contests left. On Tuesday, they celebrate Senior Night with Lake Hamilton in town. They wrap up the regular season on Friday with a trip to El Dorado. The Class 7A State Tournament starts May 15 in Fayetteville.
Wolf scored the first goal at Texarkana, taking a feed from Caddy just over six minutes into the contest.
It stayed 1-0 until halftime. In quick succession, Bryant scored two more goals early in the second half. Wolf found the mark off an assist by Bryce Denker just over three minutes in. Less than two minutes later, Caddy got his first goal off an assist from Wolf. He would finish up the scoring with just under 20 minutes left in the contest. Denker recorded his second assist.
Haugh acknowledged that it’s a challenge to keep his team focused in games inside conference, which the Hornets have dominated (outscoring the opposition 72-5 in their 12 matches). It’s especially challenging with the State tournament looming. Bryant came a win away from playing for the State title a year ago and that’s another reason they’re anxious for that time to arrive.
“That’s one of the toughest things we’re having to do right now, just trying to keep their mind on what the final picture is,” Haugh said. “That’s the big thing, keep working hard in practice against each other. That’s kind of our best competition, working against each other. Right now, that’s all we can do. It’s just something we’re going to have to concentrate on the next two weeks.
“But I think they’re a lot more relaxed and not burnt out right now, which I think is good for us,” he concluded. “And confident, very confident. Last night (against Searcy) helped us with our confidence.”
