Bulldogs end regular soccer season with two wins

Photo by Mike Eckels Decatur Bulldog seniors Tony Mendoza (left), Orlando Aguirre, Alex Cordova, Donovan Case and Eduardo Hinojosa pose after their victory against the Prairie Grove Tigers May 2. This marked the last game they would play in Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs handed the Tigers a 4 to 0 loss.
Photo by Mike Eckels Decatur Bulldog seniors Tony Mendoza (left), Orlando Aguirre, Alex Cordova, Donovan Case and Eduardo Hinojosa pose after their victory against the Prairie Grove Tigers May 2. This marked the last game they would play in Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs handed the Tigers a 4 to 0 loss.

DECATUR -- For many schools around the state, soccer has quickly gained popularity rivaling that of football and basketball. The Decatur Bulldog soccer team saw the close of regular season play and the opening of the district tournament.

This year, the Bulldogs earned a fourth seed in the tournament which began in Harrison on Monday.

The Decatur soccer team came together about mid-season as a team. They began to win games and, by the last week of the season, were 7 and 8 overall with two games remaining, both home games at Bulldog Stadium.

Rogers Heritage came to Decatur May 1. From the opening whistle, the Bulldogs dominated the game. Rogers looked dazed and confused as Decatur executed a series of ball-handling magic. For most of the 80 minutes of play, Rogers was on the defensive and, when the game ended, Decatur took the match, 5 to 0.

The final game of the season, May 2, was a match with the Prairie Grove Tigers, who defeated the Bulldogs in Prairie Grove on March 3 in the Bulldogs' season opener. But this time the Bulldogs would send the Tigers home with their tails between their legs.

For the second day in a row, the Decatur Bulldogs took the field with only one thing on their minds, to win the final game of the season.

For five seniors, Tony Mendoza, Orlando Aguirre, Alex Cordova, Donovan Case and Eduardo Hinojosa, it would be their last game at Bulldog Stadium. So this game was theirs.

For the Bulldogs and Tigers, it was 80 minutes of intense play. For Prairie Grove it was mostly a defensive game. However, during the second half, the Tigers were able to go on the offensive only to see goalie Alex Cordova knocking down the ball. In the end, it was the Bulldogs handing the Tigers a 4 to 0 loss.

"You were a much improved team from when you played them the last time," Coach Barry James said. "I'm proud of all of you. We have ended the season 9 and 8 overall and that is very good."

The Bulldog soccer team had one more trick up their sleeve before leaving Bulldog Stadium for the last time this season.

"I need two guys to dump the water cooler," James said to his players.

And dump it they did. As James turned to the table to pick up a few empty cups, two of his players picked up the water cooler. And, in the blink of an eye, James was doused, ice and all.

James stood in front of his players, dripping wet, with the biggest smile on his face. With this rite of passage completed, the 2014 Decatur Bulldog regular season was over and district play is under way.

Sports on 05/07/2014