PREP VOLLEYBALL
Farmington 3, Fort Smith Southside 1
Emmerson Rehkopf finished with 22 kills and 20 digs to lead Class 5A Farmington, which improved to 23-3 by outlasting 6A Fort Smith Southside 3-1 (30-28, 25-20, 25-27, 26-24) in nonconference play Monday.
Emily Hedrick dished out a team-high 31 assists, while Sadie Morrison and Laney Brisiel added 15 and 12 kills, respectively. Emma Gore added 12 digs and 3 aces.
Hayden McCain came up with a double-double with 18 digs and 46 assists for the Mavericks (9-10). Leighton Cross added 14 kills and 12 digs and Rachel Settle chipped in 14 kills and 2 blocks. Harper Hogue also contributed 15 digs.
Hollister, Mo. 3, Harrison 1
Hollister (Mo.) improved to 27-1-1 with a 25-21, 25-23, 20-25, 25-22) win over Harrison in nonconference play Monday.
The Lady Goblins (16-7) face Berryville on the road on Tuesday and host Bergman on Thursday to close out regular-season play. They are currently leading the 4A-1 Conference.
COLLEGE SOCCER
Golden Eagles defeat USAO
Junior Bella Mendieta scored twice from second-half corner-kick sequences as the No. 20 John Brown University women’s soccer team claimed a pivotal 2-1 league victory over Science & Arts (Okla.) on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field.
The matchup brought together the two programs selected by league head coaches to share the top spot in the SAC preseason poll, and John Brown (7-1-2, 3-0-0 Sooner Athletic) emerged with its ninth consecutive match without a loss while bringing the Drovers’ five-match unbeaten run to an end.
Mendieta needed only two attempts to produce her first two goals of her career, breaking a scoreless deadlock in the 54th minute before doubling the advantage in the 76th. Both came from corner service, and Science & Arts later answered from a corner of its own as all three goals developed from set pieces.
The breakthrough finally arrived from the right flag at 53:32.
In the 54th minute, sophomore Joy Long drove the corner into the six-yard area, where Mendieta rose above a cluster of four defenders and directed a header into the right side of goal for a 1-0 advantage.
JBU nearly doubled the margin four minutes later when Jones rattled the post, but the second goal instead came from another corner in the 76th minute.
This time, service from the left flag produced a loose ball in the penalty area. Sophomore Kayah Robbins collected it and had the first effort blocked by the Drover defense, but the rebound fell to Mendieta, who buried the second chance into the right side of goal for her second of the afternoon.
Science & Arts cut the deficit in half with 6:28 remaining, again from a corner-kick sequence. The service from the right was deflected into the air and headed back toward goal before Dagbjort Gudmundsdottir finished near the goal line for her 13th goal of the season.
JBU men erupt late for win
The No. 8 John Brown University men’s soccer team erased a deficit with three goals in the final 9:18, including a pair from senior Gabriel Cabrera, to rally past Science & Arts (Okla.), 3-1, on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field in Siloam Springs.
John Brown (7-1-1, 3-0-0 Sooner Athletic) trailed from the 34th minute until an own goal finally pulled the hosts level at 80:42. Senior Gabriel Cabrera then re-entered the match moments before putting JBU in front in the 83rd minute, before adding another with 27 seconds remaining to turn a one-goal deficit into a two-goal victory in a span of 8:51.
The comeback began with senior Ransford Okyere creating pressure down the right flank. His cross into the penalty area was met by Science & Arts center back Balsa Popovic, whose attempted headed clearance climbed over goalkeeper Jack Sexton before dropping off the far-left post and into the net for the equalizer.
Before the Drovers could settle, the Golden Eagles struck again. Cabrera, who had just checked back into the match after spending nearly 18 minutes on the sideline, made an immediate impact.
Senior Marco Brizuela stepped over a free kick just outside the penalty area and drove his attempt toward the near-left post. Sexton managed to get a piece of the shot, but the ball caromed off the post and remained loose near the goal line, where Cabrera arrived to tap home his third of the season from three yards in the 83rd minute for a 2-1 advantage.
The senior then put the result away in the final minute. Junior Andres Pereira played forward from midfield to sophomore Constantin Bauer, who laid the ball off to Cabrera at the top of the 18-yard box. Cabrera curled a right-footed finish into goal, completing his brace and giving the Blue and Gold his fourth of the campaign and third of the week.
Source: www.nwaonline.com
