FAYETTEVILLE – The Bryant Lady Hornets are returning to the 7A State Tournament title game for the first time since 2015 after shutting out the Bentonville Lady Tigers 1-0 in this past Saturday's semifinals in Rogers. The victory matches the Lady Hornets up with the Rogers Lady Mounties Friday at 10 a.m. at Razorback Field in Fayetteville for a shot at the 7A title.
The Lady Hornets (17-5) last made the 7A championship in 2015, when they defeated the Bentonville Lady Tigers 2-1 under former Head Coach Julie Long. Bryant also made the title game in 2014 when the Lady Hornets fell 3-2 to Bentonville.
This season, Bryant earned the Central No. 2 seed by finishing 10-4 in the 7A Central Conference, earning a first-round bye into the state tournament. The Lady Hornets would then defeat the Har-Ber Lady Wildcats 4-3 in a shootout after it being a 1-1 tie at the end of regulation in the quarterfinals before Bryant downed West No. 1 seed Bentonville 1-0 on junior Alyssa Fason's goal assisted by freshman Ashton Inman 16 minutes into the match. Senior keeper Brittney Warner had six saves in the shutout.
For Rogers (18-5-1), the Lady Mounties earned the No. 2 seed out of the West with an 11-3 conference record, went on to defeat Conway 3-1 in the state quarterfinals before taking down Central No. 1 seed Southside 2-1 in the semis.
"They're going to play a little more possession probably than some other teams we've played," Bryant first-year Head Coach Nicole Inman said of Rogers, "so they're not going to be afraid to the move the ball around the field. They'll try to control the game a little bit.
"They definitely have one player that attacks the net. No. 3 (Skylurr Patrick, who scored both of Rogers' goals on Saturday). She's a senior this year and heading to Purdue, I've been told, to play soccer. Everything kind of runs through her a little bit.
"Defensively, they're not afraid to have the ball, but they look beatable to me."
The Lady Hornets will be facing a Rogers team which fell to Bentonville three times this season, losing 3-0 to the Lady Tigers on March 10, falling 3-1 on April 3 and getting shut out 5-0 to Bentonville on April 27.