GENTRY -- The Gentry Pioneer soccer team played against the 7A Springdale Bulldogs on March 7 and lost, 3-0. The Pioneers got off to a rough start, letting the Bulldogs score in the first 40 seconds of game. The Pioneers made some common mistakes which allowed the Bulldogs to make the goal.
The Pioneers fought hard to come back and had a shot from freshman forward, Jason Gomez, that went in, but the referees called offsides.
The Pioneers played amazing defense throughout the first half, stopping some goals and corner kicks. On the offensive side, the Pioneers could not get their touches on the ball and did not communicate that well when passing. The wind also played a big factor on the offensive side.
"We shouldn't have been losing at halftime," said Gomez. "The score should had been 0-0. I think we would have more confidence heading into the second half if no one scored yet and probably would had won the game."
Going into the second quarter, the Pioneers switched formations to four backs. The second half was going pretty good, until the Bulldogs got the ball to the corner and had a perfect cross. Daniel Thao, sophomore right back, tried to head it out, but the ball went backwards and Nick Linch, freshman defensive middle, tried to send it out of the box but was blocked by a Bulldog and the ball bounced off the left pole and went in. The score was 2-0 with the Bulldogs leading.
The Pioneers got down on themselves after that goal and the Bulldogs were able to score again. The Pioneers then tried to make a couple of runs but could not handle the ball.
"We didn't play our best, but it was a good game for us after the Bentonville game," said Aaron Walker, a junior. "We still need to learn from our mistakes and get everything ready for conference next Friday."
The above article is republished, with permission, from the Gentry High School Pioneer Press.
Sports on 03/16/2016