The Mena Bearcats soccer team advanced all the way to the semifinals of the Class 4A State Soccer Tournament over the weekend in Batesville. Meanwhile, the Cossatot River High School Eagles and Lady Eagles competed well in the Class 2A State Soccer Tournament in Mountain Home.
The Bearcats advanced to the final four with a thrilling 2-1 win over Hamburg in the first round on Thursday. Then the Bearcats slipped past Dardanelle by an identical 2-1 score in Friday’s quarterfinals in Batesville. The Mena season came to an end on Saturday with a 4-0 loss to Valley View in the semis.
The Bearcats finish with a record of 11 wins, six losses, and a tie on the year. Coach Greg Tibbitt will see his leading scorer, senior co-captain Cristian Lua graduate. Lua enjoyed a great senior campaign from his Striker position. The Bearcats will return sophomore goaltender Gaven Hooper next season. Senior Dennis Juni and junior Andrew Graves also saw playing time at goaltender.
Congratulations to Coach Tibbitt and the Bearcats for finishing in the top four in the Class 4A State Tournament!
The Cossatot River Eagles won their opening round matchup in the Class 2A State Boys Soccer Tournament at Mountain Home with a 4-3 victory over Episcopal of Little Rock on Thursday. The Eagles were shut out by Green Forest 7-0 in Friday’s quarterfinals. Coach Reggie Fryar’s club finished with a 7-8 record for the year. Leading scorers for Cossatot River’s boys on the season were sophomore Daniel Alacron and junior Manuel Esquivel-Amador. Sophomore Eduardo Maya had a nice season as goaltender.
The Lady Eagles lost a heart-breaking 4-3 decision to Lisa Academy of Little Rock in Thursday’s opening round. Coach Reggie Fryar’s Lady Eagles finish the year with a 6-5 record. Leading scorer and senior co-captain Ashlen Gonzalez will graduate. Junior goaltender Yazmin Medina will return next season to lead the Lady Eagles.
About Author
Jeri Pearson
Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.
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