Bulldogs win first round but eliminated in second

Photo by James Garner Tony Mendoza (Decatur #10) slips the ball past the Cossatot River goalie for the first of two goals he scored during the first round of the high school soccer tournament at Central Arkansas Christian in North Little Rock on May 14. The Bulldogs held the Eagles to one goal as they took the match, 2 to 1.
Photo by James Garner Tony Mendoza (Decatur #10) slips the ball past the Cossatot River goalie for the first of two goals he scored during the first round of the high school soccer tournament at Central Arkansas Christian in North Little Rock on May 14. The Bulldogs held the Eagles to one goal as they took the match, 2 to 1.

DECATUR -- Amid a barrage of school spirit, the Decatur High soccer team walked from the school to a waiting bus bound for North Little Rock and the state soccer tournament.

As the 16 players walked down the sidewalk in front of the main entrance of the high school, students (lining the sidewalk all the way to the bus doors) showed their Bulldog Pride with cheer, song and dance.

As the bus pulled away from the high school campus, it was met by two Decatur Police Department units. Jeanie Harper took the lead while Police Chief Terry Luker took up the rear. They escorted the team down State Highway 59 to Gentry. As they reached the intersection of State Highways 12 and 59, the escort pulled off, leaving the team to continue its long journey alone.

At the soccer complex on the campus of Central Arkansas Christian in North Little Rock, the Bulldogs took on the Cossatot River Eagles from Cove, another small town along Hwy. 59, south of Mena.

Decatur gained the upper head about midway through the first half with a goal by Tony Mendoza, making it a 1 to 0 Bulldog match. The Eagles tried to counter with a goal attempt of their own. But thanks to the quick thinking by Decatur goalie Meng Vang, the attempt failed. By the end of the first half, the Bulldogs held onto the 1 to 0 lead.

In the second half, the Bulldogs added another goal by Mendoza, making it a 2 to 0 Decatur game. However, Cossatot River would not go down without a fight. They scored their first goal with less than 15 minutes to play.

The Bulldogs kept the pressure on the Eagles as the final seconds ticked off the clock, taking a 2 to 1 victory and allowing Decatur to advance to the second round against the Warren Lumberjacks on May 15.

When the Bulldogs took the field for the second round of the state tournament, it became evident that the Lumberjacks were a vastly superior 4A school. But this did not deter the Bulldogs' quest for the championship title.

Decatur held Warren scoreless through the first half of match. However, that changed early in the second half when a Lumberjack player slipped the ball past Decatur goalie Meng Vang for the first score of the game, giving Warren a 1 to 0 advantage.

The Bulldogs continued to drive toward the Lumberjacks goal time and time again only to be rejected by a superior goalie.

Then, with less then 10 minutes to play, an official made a questionable call that gave Warren a penalty kick. The Lumberjack player sailed the ball past Vang for the second and what would be the final point of the game. Warren took the match, 2 to 0, and eliminated Decatur from the tournament.

The Bulldogs finished the season 9 and 2 in conference play, 1 and 1 in state tournament play, and 9, 6 and 1 overall.

The 2015 soccer season has been a remarkable ride for the Decatur Bulldogs. Facing four of the top 7A teams in Northwest Arkansas (Rogers Heritage, Springdale, Fayetteville, Bentonville) and only losing by one or two points says a lot for the ability of the Bulldogs and the coaching of Barry James, who completes his second season with the team.

"I wanted the team to learn from the experience of playing the more experienced 7A schools," James said. "They took those experiences and grew from them. I am very proud of what the team accomplished this season. "

One of the biggest challenges James faces next season is the loss of nearly half of this years' team to graduation. Fortunately, he will retain Meng Vang as his number one goalie. Vang made the transition from a defender to the goal early in the season. He had help from Toby Conrad, James Garner and several local soccer experts to turn him into a seasoned veteran who prevented several goals that would have turned the tide against the Bulldogs.

During the off-season months, James will recruit some talent from the junior high level that will begin training as soccer players for the 2016 season. Only when these young players take the field for the first match will it be known if the lessons learned will pay the same dividends as those of this season.

Two players from Decatur made the All-State soccer team May 20. Senior Tony Mendoza, who led the Bulldogs in scoring, and Jonathan Vargas Perez, who was the second leading scorer, were named to this most honored team.

Sports on 05/20/2015