Last week, Gentry High School’s girls’ soccer team, recently declared as conference champions, traveled to Harrison, Arkansas, to compete in the 4A state tournament as a number one seed.

On Thursday, May 12th, the Lady Pioneers took on the Southside Southerners from Batesville. This game was delayed an hour due to stormy weather and didn’t begin until 10:00 a.m. Although things started out slow, center forwards senior Ana Linch and junior Amber Ellis were able to get the ball rolling. Ellis started out scoring on a free kick in the first half, quickly followed by a goal from Linch. Senior Erika Magana also assisted Ellis for a header on goal just before halftime. In the second half, Ellis came out with another early goal. Linch succeeded in putting up another two points before the match ended, leaving her and Ellis with a hat trick each to end the game. The final score was a 6-0 win for Gentry.

Linch stated that, “The weather conditions didn’t really affect us once we got our intensity up. Our team as a whole played really well!”

The following Friday morning resulted in another win for the Lady Pioneers against Robinson. Gentry’s “Dynamic Duo” (Linch and Ellis) kicked off the Lady Pioneers with three early goals – Linch with with the first two goals and Ellis with the third- before Robinson could sneak a shot in. However, Gentry’s foreign exchange student and outside midfielder Karina Appelgrath (junior) was able to score off of a cross by Linch just before halftime. When the Lady Pioneers returned to the field for the second half, Linch assisted Ellis for yet another early goal. Sophomore Haley Hays quickly followed with a shot on goal. Before the game ended, Ellis managed to achieve a hat trick by scoring her third goal of the match. The final score was a 7-1 win for Gentry, sending them into the semifinals of the state tournament.

After the game, Hays explained that they came to success was because, “We passed the ball very well and got a lot of opportunities.”

The semifinal game was played at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday morning against Heber Springs. Linch started off the Lady Pioneers with a tough shot outside of the 18-yard-box in the first half. Following her on the scoreboard, Hays succeeded in heading the ball into the goal off of an assist by Ellis. After halftime, Linch and freshman Madison Ward were each able to score a point for the Pioneers. Before the game ended, Ellis was able to assist another header on goal, this time for Linch. The final score was a 5-0 win for Gentry.

Ellis remarked that, “We had a very good showing in this year’s state tournament. Our team has had to overcome so many obstacles throughout the season in order to get back to the championship and I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve accomplished. This is truly an awesome group that has laid down the foundation for Gentry soccer.”

Their 4A girls state championship game is currently scheduled to be played this Saturday, May 21st, against Central Arkansas Christian. This will be the second time that the Lady Pioneers will face the Lady Mustangs in the state championship game. After winning 2-0 in the final match last year, Gentry is looking forward to defending their state title.

Head coach Fabrizio Campagnola said, “This final is a fantastic achievement for our team. The girls have more experience and confidence than they did a year ago and we believe that we can compete and win the title again.”

Please follow and like us: