The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs are off to identical 3-2 starts after their first two weeks of varsity soccer competition. Likewise, they are both 0-2 in league play in the tough 5A West, likely the most difficult conference in the state regardless of classification. Both GHS teams return to action next Tuesday, March 16th, on the road at Van Buren.

Lady Bulldogs

Head Coach Andrew Post and his girls won their first two non-conference matches at home against Cossatot River and on the road at Dardanelle. Opening their season on February 25th, the GHS girls easily topped the Lady Eagles of Cosssatot River, 6-0. Four days later they traveled to Yell County and defeated the Lady Sand Lizards, 3-1.

After those two wins, Coach Post spoke to the Dog Pound about his team’s potential, while voicing concern over their inexperience and lack of team depth. The team’s roster lists 22 players, down from about 30 last year before the season was cancelled due to the Covid-19 scare.

But one player really distinguished herself by scoring seven goals in her first two matches. “We have a new freshman this year that’s been playing club [ball], and she’s scored seven of our nine goals so far this year, which is a good start for a freshman,” said the coach. “She also had an assist, so she’s been involved in eight of the nine goals we’ve scored.”

Post was referring to ninth-grader Abbey Gatesman. “For her club team she’s a defensive player, and I didn’t know how she was going to perform in [her new] role [as a midfielder]. It was good to see her do well and find the goal as many times as she did. She had some impressive goals in both of those games. It was surprising.

“She’s still getting accustomed to the physical side of varsity soccer, [but] she doesn’t play to her size,” he added. “She’s quick and plays much bigger. She naturally puts herself in position to score. She’s still learning the position of center-mid, but seems to have a nose for scoring so far.

“We lost so many players from last year’s squad,” admitted the coach. “I think we’re only returning three starters from last year,” referring to senior Emory Brewer, junior Kayla Rogers, and sophomore Ava Thomas. “You could characterize it as rebuilding. Our numbers are down and we are young, but we’re trying to make the playoffs this year, and we’ve got some players that can help us do that. We’re just not very deep or have a big roster, and those are concerns.”

The season’s third match was played at home March 4th on the turf at Smith-Robinson Stadium against the Lady Panthers of Greenbrier, one of the top teams in the 5A West, along with perennial powers Russellville and Siloam Springs. The Lady Bulldogs kept it close – the game was scoreless at halftime – but gave up two second-half goals in the 2-0 loss.

Last Monday, March 8th, the GHS girls traveled to Farmington for a 3-1 victory over the Lady Cardinals, scoring two first-half goals for a 2-0 lead at the break. Both teams scored a single goal in the second half as Greenwood improved to 3-1 overall.

Last Thursday, March 11th, the Lady Bulldogs hosted another one of the league’s top teams. The powerful Lady Cyclones of Russellville came to Greenwood and extracted a convincing 4-1 victory, dropping the GHS girls to 0-2 in conference play.

“Obviously, the biggest area of concern is our [lack of] depth in a year where contact tracing and Covid could wipe out several players. That would hurt us tremendously,” admitted the coach earlier this month. “We’ve got some positives, but we have a lot of growing to do.

“We’ve got a few [players] with some experience,” continued Post. “Kayla Rogers is in her third year. She’s been starting or getting significant playing time since she was a freshman. Ava Thomas is a sophomore, but she’s played a lot growing up. She started for me last year, so she has some experience.

“Emory Brewer has been with me since she was a freshman and played [goal] keeper for me all four years, and we’ll need that experience going forward,” said Post of his starting keeper. “She’s probably one of the more experienced goalkeepers in the league. She’s pretty athletic and comes from an athletic family.

Post also has high hopes for newcomer Madelyn Wilkinson, one of the top long-distance runners in the state, trying her hand at varsity soccer for the first time. “She’s helped us immediately,” said her coach. “She scored in her first game. She’s got a motor on her, that’s for sure. She can go the whole 80 minutes and not have to come out. But it’s been a few years since she played soccer, but I think she’ll be up to it.”

The Lady Bulldogs will also need significant contributions from several other promising players, including senior Shea Goodwin, currently a starter on the basketball team. Goodwin has never played varsity soccer but is one of the school’s best female athletes, according to Post. “We’re excited to have her out, [but] we might not get her until after spring break.

Other seniors on the team include Olivia Walker, Kylie Gonzagowski, and Madison Philpot. Walker is a multi-sport performer, having also played on the golf and basketball teams. “She’s a starter for me at mid-field and she has a quick leg that will help her tremendously, even though she’s on the shorter side,” said Post.

“Kylie has been with me since she was a freshman, but not in a starting role,” recalled the coach. “But I put her in [during] the first half [against Dardanelle], and she did very well. We were impressed with how she played. She plays outside back for me, left or right back, and she brings a little bit of speed back there.

“[Madison] Philpot plays forward, and this will be her first year to start,” continued Post. “She has improved quite a bit from last year, being able to hold the ball up and be a target forward for us. We are pleasantly surprised and happy that she is doing so well. She had an assist the other night [against Dardanelle].”

“We will get better, but it’s going to be a grind trying to keep kids healthy and keep them from getting quarantined. That’s [something] I haven’t had to deal with before, but that’s why we play the sport, because the variables always change. You either adjust and get better, or you sink. All the teams have to deal with this type of thing. Our biggest concern is not having a lot of players with varsity experience.”

Bulldogs

Like the Lady Bulldogs, the GHS boys have won all three of their non-conference matches while dropping both league games. But that’s where the similarities end. The 2021 Bulldogs have good numbers with 29 players on the current roster, including several seniors. Last month, Head Coach Tyler Woods talked about his team’s upcoming season.

“Our numbers are still great,” said the coach who arrived in Greenwood in 2018 after four years as founder and head coach of the boys’ soccer program at Beebe High School. “We’ve got seven seniors and all of them are going to be very helpful this year. They’re going to play a key role. We [also] return our entire defense, even though we will change some things around. We return all four guys on our back line from last year.”

The senior leaders of this year’s squad include L.D. Richmond, Devan and Jonathan Lamb, Angel Hernandez, Travis Johns, Connor Marvin, and Riley Wann. But among those seven only four of them – the two Lambs, Johns, and Wann – have significant varsity soccer experience. Richmond, Hernandez, and Marvin are all football players who are getting their first exposure to high school soccer. They are good athletes, but still have much to learn about the sport.

Concerning Wann, the coach said, “He’s probably our best player skill-wise and athletically. He started a couple of games as a freshman, so technically he is a four-year starter. He’s played a lot of outside-mid because he’s got a lot of speed. He’s going to play forward [this season]. He’s going to have a big role in scoring for us. He’s one of our bigger leaders. He does everything I ask him to, and he goes the extra mile. His speed and skill will help out a lot.

“Travis Johns is a kid I’ve seen grow up a lot, and he’s come a long way,” said Woods. “His skill [level] has done a 180 from the time I saw him as a sophomore. He’s gotten stronger in our off-season program. He always has a smile on his face and is willing to do whatever it takes. He’s going to start at right back for us. [Travis] anchors the defense. He just knows what to do and where to be.”

“Devan Lamb was our starting left-back playing defense last year, but this year he will play a little more mid-field or left-mid,” the coach continued. “He’s got a good left foot even though he’s right-footed. He’ll have a big role at mid-field. [And] Jonathan [Lamb] is like Devan. He rotates [positions] and both of them have come a long way [in] skill development. They’ve put in a lot of work. Jonathan is like our utility knife. We could probably play him at any position. He’s a dependable defender with good skills. If he shares the ball, he does really well and creates a lot of opportunities for us.”

As for the three senior footballers, Woods has high hopes for them despite their relative inexperience. Both Marvin and Hernandez played soccer earlier in their youth and are returning to the sport. Along with Richmond, all three are also accustomed to winning, having earned a state championship ring on the gridiron last fall.

“L.D. is a first-year soccer player, but he’s an athlete, the starting quarterback who will play college football,” said Woods of Richmond. “I convinced him to come and try out for our [goal] keeper, and he is a natural at it.

“It’s going to be important to get him some experience, but from what I’ve seen so far, he’s going to do really well. The other kids are impressed with him as well. He’s really taken a liking to it too. He’s loving the game,” said the coach.

Of Hernandez, the coach said, “He played football and started [several] games at linebacker. [But] he played soccer when he was younger and I convinced him to come out, and he’s really good. He’s got a motor that never quits. He’s going to play center-mid for us. He’s a hard worker and a natural leader. The kids look up to him.”

Regarding Connor Marvin, Woods said, “He played soccer when he was younger, and apparently was a stud, but he quit playing in about sixth or seventh grade and focused on football. But he told me the other day ‘I wish I had stuck with it. I’m having a blast.’ Connor is [also] the fastest kid on our team and the strongest kid. He looks like an ox walking around. He’s a great kid and he’s just happy to be out there. He’s going to play college football at Hendrix. [Soccer] will help with his footwork and stamina and keeping him in shape.”

The Bulldogs have several other players with great potential, according to their coach, including junior Micah Lensing, sophomore Ralph Meeker, freshman Bodie Steinfeldt, junior Ben Moy, and freshman Israel Ajtum, among others.

Of those, Ajtum is an intriguing case. “He’s from Guatamala and he’s [probably] here for just a semester, but he’s not a foreign exchange student,” explained Woods. “He’s an incredible player, but we weren’t sure he was going to be eligible, but he is, and we’re excited about that.”

On March 1st the Bulldogs kicked off their season with a 2-1 victory at Dardanelle, followed by their home opener at Smith-Robinson Stadium on March 4th, a 2-1 loss to the Greenbrier Panthers, also the conference opener.

They then won a pair of non-conference road games at Prairie Grove (March 5th) and Farmington (March 8th) by scores of 2-1 and 2-0, respectively. This past Thursday they hosted the Russellville Cyclones and lost 3-0 to the defending state champions (2019).

Both GHS teams will be on the road at Van Buren next Tuesday before hosting Vilonia next Thursday at Smith-Robinson Stadium. Typically, the girls match begins at 5 p.m. followed by the boys around 7 p.m.