Lessons learned, Bryant soccer team finishes tourney with solid win
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BENTONVILLE — The Bryant Hornets soccer team got better as they went along Friday and Saturday at the Northwest Arkansas Invitational Tournament, capping off the weekend with a convincing 3-0 win over the Springdale Har-Ber Wildcats.
Off the bus on Friday, the Hornets had to tackle the host team and absorbed a 3-0 loss. Later in the evening, they took on Memorial High School of Edmond, Okla., and after battling through a scoreless first half, absorbed another 3-0 setback.
The results made the Hornets overall record 2-4 but that was against some of the best soccer squads in the area in the Bentonville and Fort Smith tourneys. They open South Conference action this Tuesday at Benton.
“The boys were determined to end the weekend with a win going into conference play,” related Hornets coach Brett Haugh. “Before the (Har-Ber) game started, I told them that it wasn’t always how you start but how you finish.
“As a team, we came out strong, playing one- and two-touch soccer, controlling the ball and communicating well,” he said.
The game was 0-0 at the half.
“We had several opportunities in the first half,” Haugh noted. “The boys knew they had to come out and continue to play their game and not let up in the second half. We did just that.”
Bryce Denker broke the ice with the first goal about 15 minutes into the second half. He would add a goal on a penalty kick a bit later then completed a hat trick by scoring off a free kick near the post.
“Not only did our offense perform well but our defense did an exceptional job keeping Har-Ber from scoring,” Haugh mentioned. “This was a good win for us going into conference.”
In Saturday’s loss to Edmond Memorial, the Hornets had a learning experience, Haugh said.
“The guys came out and played one of the best first halves we have played all year,” he stated. “They communicated well and moved the ball well but we still couldn’t get anything to hit the net after several opportunities.”
In the second half, Edmond took the lead with two goals off corner kicks in the first five minutes.
“We came out a totally different team in the second half and allowed Edmond to control that half,” Haugh said. “It is hard to win games when we only play one half. That’s something we are going to have to learn how to do. Sometimes you have to fight through adversity and come from behind.”
Regarding the loss to Bentonville, the coach said, “We came off the bus very tight after a long trip and just couldn’t seem to get anything going during the game. We had some opportunities to score. We just couldn’t finish.”
