The 2021 Greenwood Bulldogs ended last spring’s high school soccer season with a winning record, albeit a meager 9-8-1, missing out on the state tournament. But when considering the conference they play in – the 5A West – finishing one game above .500 takes on a different perspective. Not counting the cancelled Covid season of 2020, three teams from the 5A West have won the last five state titles in Class 5A – Van Buren (2021), Russellville (2018-19), and Siloam Springs (2016-17).

There’s absolutely no argument that the 5A West is the best boys high school soccer league in the state. That was true even before Van Buren joined the conference a couple years ago after moving down from Class 6A. Prior to the Pointers’ arrival, Russellville and Siloam Springs dominated the sport in Class 5A. At this point, the rest of the league’s teams, including Greenwood, are left scrambling to earn a fourth-place playoff berth behind the big three.

“It’s a dogfight to try to get that fourth spot. We’ve been close,” said GHS Head Coach Tyler Woods, whose first season with the Bulldogs was 2019. Overall, Woods is 69-68-7 in eight years as a head coach and 21-21-1 at Greenwood. He followed Lukas Shoemaker, who was hired in 2017 to take over the GHS boys soccer program after being an assistant coach at Siloam Springs. But he unexpectedly returned to the Panthers the following year as their head coach. Woods then had one season with the Bulldogs before Covid shut down all spring sports in 2020.

It's difficult to measure the impact of successive coaching changes, a global pandemic, and a lost season on the psyche and development of a sports team, especially on the high school level, but it can’t be good. Yet, the Bulldogs have soldiered on and been competitive despite not making the playoffs in their two completed campaigns since 2018.

As he prepares for his third full season at the helm, Coach Woods is committed to building a winning program, not just to earn that fourth playoff spot, but to catch up to the big boys in the 5A West. Still, it won’t be easy. It will take time and a lot of hard work by coaches and players alike and a good deal of community support from parents and boosters.

The GHS boys got off to a good start last Tuesday at Smith-Robinson Stadium by defeating Little Rock’s Pulaski Robinson Senators in a benefit match, 2-1. The Bulldogs will officially open their season this coming Tuesday on the road at Dardanelle. They will welcome the Farmington Cardinals to Smith-Robinson Stadium on Thursday before hosting a two-day tournament on Friday and Saturday. The tough 5A West schedule gets underway March 10th at home against the Russellville Cyclones.

Coach Woods recently gave a phone interview to the Dog Pound previewing his 2022 Bulldogs. He has 26 players listed on the team roster, down slightly from previous years. He also revealed that he is starting a middle school program for grades six through eight to encourage interest in soccer and develop more skilled players by the time they reach ninth grade and are eligible for varsity play.

“We’ve done some stuff with fifth through eighth grades before, but we’re actually going to start a middle school team for boys. We’ll schedule some games in the area and practice twice a week. One of the dads is helping me with it. Those kids will come [to us] with more skills and more [soccer] IQ and be more ready to play high school soccer,” said Woods.

“We’ll start three seniors, three juniors, four sophomores, and one freshman on varsity,” he said when asked to dissect his team’s makeup for 2022. “We’ve got a couple other freshmen who might get some varsity minutes this year. We have some question marks, but by now we have a pretty good idea of who is going to start and get minutes. We started practice January 4th and took a couple days off to enjoy the snow.”

Not only does Woods plan to get involved with younger kids in lower grades, but he is also big on utilizing former players to support his current team. He explained, “I like to get some alumni to come scrimmage us. It helps us learn who can do what against better competition playing against guys [we] might not know.”

On February 12th the 2022 Bulldogs scrimmaged a GHS alumni team for two 40-minute halves on a chilly afternoon at Smith-Robinson Stadium. The match ended in a 1-1 tie with the former players winning in overtime on penalty kicks. “It was a lot of fun,” said Woods, who officiated the match along with GHS girls head coach Andrew Post.

“I want to start doing that every year for all our alumni players,” continued Woods. “We had about 22 guys. I was pleased. That’s a really good number for us for our first game. I think after this first year even more guys will want to do it, and of course, our seniors from this year will want to play next year. Our oldest player was from around 2008 and one traveled from Little Rock to play.” Woods publicized the match through Facebook and by calling former players on the phone.

“I have three seniors that will start for me this year and two more will come off the bench,” offered the coach. “Ben Moy is a captain and it’s his third year starting on defense. He plays center back for us and is the anchor of our defense. He communicates well and knows the system. He knows the rules well and knows how to teach them to the young guys, which I love. He’s got a big, booming leg. He’s not the fastest, but he’s going to be a leader for us this year.

“Our second senior is Cole Meyers. He’s a first-year starter and a guy who kind of worked his way up through the [junior varsity] ranks. He’s learned a lot and gotten so much better. He’s kind of a utility guy. He’s actually our backup keeper, but we’re going to play him at left back to help on defense. He’s a left footer.

“Our third starting senior is Ivan Morales, a kid who played JV as a freshman but quit soccer his sophomore and junior years then came back this year. He’s going to start at forward for us. He’ll have the daunting task of replacing Riley Wann, our leading scorer last year,” said Woods. Wann is now playing college soccer.

“Ivan is a smaller guy but has really good IQ and good touch on the ball. When he works hard, he’s a really good player. He’s got a strong right foot, so he can shoot really well. He can work the ball up the field, so we’re going to depend on Ivan for some goals and assists this year.

“Two more seniors will come off the bench. Jaben Huff is a guy who played as a freshman and sophomore and quit his junior year. He’s athletic, fast, and physical, and wants to help anyway he can,” said the coach before moving on to senior Trey Merreighn. “This is his first year playing. He played when he was really young. He’s a cross country guy and he can run forever. He’s learning as he goes, but he’s going to help out as well. Those [two] guys will be subbed in as midfielders to give the other guys some breaks. We’re hoping for some good quality minutes from those guys.

“Hunter Kirkes also did not play last year,” revealed Woods. “He was vying for a starting spot on the offensive line in football, but he was losing too much weight playing soccer, and needed to beef up [for football]. He’ll help us at keeper and play a little on defense as well.” The coach then turned his attention to his junior class of players, starting with Steven Duran.

“This will be [Steven’s] second year starting. He’s a big piece of the pie for us. He’s a junior, but sometimes he plays and acts like a senior. He and Ben Pschier both play center mid. Steven will play an attacking mid spot and Ben will play a defensive mid spot. Those guys have been hard workers since day one. They have gotten so much better. They missed their freshman year [Covid], so they’ve only got one year of high school experience, but they play a lot older. They’ve gotten stronger, faster, and bigger.

“Ralph Meeker is probably the fastest kid on our team,” said Woods of one of his top players. “He’s going to be the best scorer we have. He has two dominant feet, and he’s going to play forward for us. We need him to be our leading scorer, and if he is, we will do well. He’s got to take the responsibility of putting the ball in the net. He’s got to turn that [aggressive] motor on all the time.” Two more juniors who will play JV but could help the varsity later in the season are Daniel Langley and Dylan Sonnenmoser. Both are defenders, but Sonnenmoser is currently on the injured list.

Moving on, Woods said, “We’ve got four sophomore starters, and I’m really excited about our sophomore goalkeeper, Brandon Coston. He’s a little guy who has come on strong. He’s taken the weight room serious. He will do anything and everything you ask him to do. He has great skill. He got to start a few games at the end of last season and he’s a lot more confident this year. We’re going to depend on him as our anchor in front of the goal.

“Bodey Steinfeldt is going to play center back. He started as a ninth grader. He also kicks and punts for the football team. He’s a quiet kid who will do everything he’s asked to do. He’s a smart kid who is learning all the rules of defense. He had to grow up really fast last year,” said his coach.

“Tucker Wooten is another [sophomore] who moved in from Illinois. He’s a left footer and will start for us at left mid. I’ve seen a lot of growth in him over the last year. He’s got a love for the game. His dad takes him to a lot of camps. He’s in a lifting class during the day and he’s taken the off-season really serious. He’s put on a lot of weight, probably 15 pounds of muscle over the last year. His IQ and resolve on the ball have been a lot better this year. His touch has gotten better too.

“Alex Pittman is another sophomore who will start at right back. That was one of our question marks. But his receiving and passing the ball has gotten a hundred times better than last year. He’s learning as he goes, but he’s got the speed and quickness. He’s athletic. It’s going to be nice to have him for three years,” said Woods. Sophomores Christian Wheeler and Elijah Carraway could also contribute, especially on defense, added the coach.

Woods then reflected on a large crop of seven freshmen, at least half of which could contribute significantly this coming season. “Hudson Meeker is fast and physical. He’s a football kid and he’s a guy we can plug in on defense or at mid field.” Unfortunately, Meeker has dealt with a health issue that has cost him valuable practice time and physical conditioning, so it may be some time before he is at full strength.

“Our starter is David Coggins,” said Woods of his prized freshman. “He’s a cross country runner and the guy has just shown out. He’s a ninth grader who plays with the same wisdom, skill, and calmness on the ball as a junior. He’s got great IQ. He could be one of Greenwood’s best players ever by the time he’s a senior. He’s played really competitive club ball. He plays right mid for us. He’s just a fantastic player.”

Playing on the same club team in Northwest Arkansas as Coggins is Pablo Ambriz, also a GHS wrestler for Coach John Kincade, so he has just joined the soccer team. “Pablo will have to learn a little bit about the position, but has a good foundation to help us as well,” said Woods.

“Jameson Stewart is another freshman, and he loves to get rough, and I love it, because it’s hard to teach ninth graders to be [aggressive]. He’s got some good skills, but he’ll have to develop some confidence. Another mid-fielder we have is Corbin Lamb, the brother of Devon Lamb, who graduated last year and played defense for us. Corbin is a younger version of Devon, I believe. Once his body starts to change and he develops some touch and IQ, he’s going to be a good player for us.

“Ducati Tatum is a kid who has played before,” continued Woods. “He played offensive line for the [freshmen] football team and he’s going to play some defense for us. [Freshman] Braycen Austin has never really played before. He’s played some other sports, but never soccer. But he has awesome instincts. He’s very fast and just needs to develop some touch. He’s going to be a good player for us in the future.” Austin is the stepson of GHS girls head coach Andrew Post.

“We’re not very deep, so we’re not going to be able to sub as much,” revealed Woods candidly. “But our 11 guys on the field are probably the best I’ve ever had at keeping possession of the ball. As far as skill, IQ, and combining possessions together and seeing the field, this team does a very good job.

“But it’s going to be tough to manufacture goals. We’re going to have to depend on some kids to really grow up and take leadership, and one of those is Ralph Meeker. He’s got all the assets and skills to play. He’s just got to believe that he can. We’ve got a ton of smart kids, and that’s going to be a big attribute for us,” said the coach.

“I’m a little concerned about our outside backs on defense. Our non-conference season is not very long, so those guys are going to have to grown up really fast. We’re also paper thin and won’t be able to survive many injuries or ailments. We’re still young. Our style of play will be different because we will be able to possess the ball more this year. The most important thing is defense, and all 11 players have to defend. We’ve got the ability to compete, and our goal is to make the playoffs.”