The 2026 soccer season has been a good one for Head Coach Andrew Post and his Greenwood Lady Bulldogs. After missing the playoffs the past two seasons, the GHS girls finished the regular season with 12 wins overall and 8-5-3 in 5A West conference play, good enough to earn fourth place and the league’s #4 seed in the playoffs. The Lady Bulldogs have been led all season by a trio of solid seniors – Farah Crossno, Mariah Bartok, and Trinity Spicer – along with breakout performances by younger players like sophomore Hannah Simpson and freshman Chelsea Wells.
But there’s a big difference in qualifying for the playoffs and advancing past the first round, a truth the GHS ladies have learned all too well in their two most recent state tournament appearances in 2023 and 2026. Three years ago, they lost to Valley View, 5-1, to bow out of the postseason in the first round. This past Thursday they returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2023, losing to #1 seeded Searcy from the 5A East. Unfortunately for Greenwood, the match was played at Lions’ Stadium on the campus of Searcy High School, which hosted the tournament. The final score was 7-0.
Writing on the team’s Facebook page, Coach Post offered these comments: “It’s not the ending we wanted, but still a season to be proud of,” he said. “This group battled, grew, overcame adversity, and represented Greenwood the right way all year long. Wins and losses fade, but the memories, relationships, and lessons don’t. I’m proud of this team and I will miss these seniors who were such a huge part of [our] success this season.”
Leading up to their postseason contest with the Lady Lions, Greenwood went 3-3 in their final six regular season and conference matches, just well enough to sneak into the playoffs behind Siloam Springs, Russellville, and Shiloh Christian. All three of those teams have won their first two matches in the postseason, reaching the semi-finals as of this writing, proving once again the strength of the 5A West relative to the rest of the state. The Lady Bulldogs finished with a 12-6-3 season mark.
On Tuesday, April 21st, Greenwood traveled to Alma and defeated the Lady Airedales on their home turf, 1-0, with Farah Crossno scoring the lone GHS goal. Two days later a trio of Lady Bulldogs got in on the scoring fun in a 6-1 victory at home over Farmington. Chelsea Wells scored one goal, but teammates Hannah Simpson and Mariah Bartok dented the net multiple times. Simpson netted three goals while Bartok notched two scores.
Greenwood’s next two matches were at home against Siloam Springs, a 6-0 loss on May 1st, and on the road at Russellville, a 4-0 loss on May 5th. But after being shutout in back-to-back matches, the Lady Bulldogs scored four times in their regular and conference season finale at Mountain Home on Friday, May 8th, winning 4-0. Hannah Simpson (2), Mariah Bartok, and Chelsea Wells did the scoring for the visitors, earning them a berth in the postseason.
While Coach Post and his staff and team will miss departing seniors Farrah Crossno, Mariah Bartok, and Trinity Spicer, they will welcome the return of nearly the entire squad in 2027, but with another year of experience under their belts. Their task will be to continue building on the success of 2026 and a return to the state playoffs as a higher seed with the goal of progressing past the first round. Congratulations on a solid season, ladies!