Corner kick decides things as Searcy takes Arkansas 5A girls soccer title with 1-0 win over Siloam Springs
By Buck Ringgold
BENTON — Searcy was having trouble getting shots past Siloam Springs goalkeeper Reina Tiefel at the outset of Friday’s Class 5A championship girls soccer game.
The Lady Lions were finally able to get a corner kick, aided with a touch of wind, to finally solve Tiefel.
A corner kick by senior Chandler Meadows got a boost of wind and the ball curved into the top right corner of the net nearly 15 minutes into the contest. Searcy then used its defense and the play of its own goalkeeper to preserve that lead, as the Lady Lions repeated as state champions with a 1-0 win at the Benton Athletic Complex.
“That wind was blowing out that way and I told (Meadows), ‘Just get it close,’” Searcy coach Larry Stamps said. “It just went into that back corner.”
Meadows’ goal came with 25:36 left in the opening half, after Searcy had relentlessly took shots from the get-go, only for Tiefel to make saving plays.
“We’re going to shoot at you a lot, and she did a great job,” Stamps said of Tiefel. “We haven’t seen her before, but that girl can play; she’ll go somewhere.
“I’m glad we’re the one (that had the game's lone goal)."
Siloam Springs coach Abby Ray had praise for her goalkeeper for doing her part in helping give her team a chance.
“Reina was amazing; she kept us in it,” Ray said. “The amount of saves that she had, they didn’t score a goal off of a shot on her, they scored on a corner, so she made so many saves on so many shots; she kept us in the game (Friday).”
Stamps’ own goalkeeper, senior Shelby Webb, didn’t see much action on her side of the field in the first half, though in the closing seconds until halftime, the Lady Panthers had a breakaway attempt. However, they were unable to execute it, and Webb got a touch on the ball.
Then in the second half, Siloam Springs got a couple of good shot opportunities. One was a 19-yard free kick in the early minutes, but the ball glanced off a wall of Searcy defenders and landed in Webb’s hands.
With more than six minutes left, the Lady Panthers attempted a free kick from nearly 30 yards out. The ball went right to Webb, who snagged it with both hands.
“I guess I just felt like I needed to do it for my team because they’ve done so much for me and I feel like I needed to give it back to them by giving it my all and doing everything I could to help them,” said Webb, who was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Searcy (17-0-1) finished the season having not allowed a goal in each of its last eight games. Its lone tie was a scoreless one with Pulaski Academy, who won the 4A championship earlier on Friday.
In the four state tournament games, the Lady Lions outscored their opponents, 21-0.
“This year, I think somebody said they scored four goals on us and (our defense was) just awesome,” Stamps said. “I’ve got a freshman (Lexi Eddins) on the back line, and I was worried about her a little bit, but she’s got so much speed, she can make a mistake and get back in time.”
The Lady Lions also were able to handle the pressure of being the defending state champs.
“They did, they did real well and I said if you guys can stay together and nobody gets hurt, we’re going to be fine,” Stamps said. “And we’ve had some bumps and injuries and all that stuff, but they stayed together.”
Webb agreed, noting it was a total team effort to get the repeat.
“I think we did pretty well with it," she said. "It was a lot of pressure, but I think everyone handled it well and maintained a positive mindset.”
While her team was disappointed with the tough one-goal defeat, Ray noted the Lady Panthers (20-4) can still take tremendous pride in what they achieved this season.
“I just had to tell them like, I’m proud of what they’ve done this year,” Ray said. “We were conference champions and undefeated in conference, and it’s been a long time since we’ve done that, so this team has a lot to be proud of.
“Also being a state runner-up is not a thing to be ashamed of, because a lot of teams didn’t make it this far. Searcy was a good team, they were the better team (Friday), but I’m proud of my team; I think they gave it everything they had. … Yes, state (championship) rings are fun and state championships are great, but that ring sits in a box somewhere. These memories are going to last forever.”