PRAIRIE GROVE -- The Lady Tiger duo of sophomore defender Aniyah Gibbs and freshman goalkeeper Jaylia Halbert were named All-State in girls soccer for the 2018 season.
Despite primarily playing defense, Gibbs scored 10 goals adding 1 assist to produce 21 points on the season. Halbert recorded 64 saves, stopping an average of 2.8-shots-on-goal per-game.
The Lady Tiger soccer team lost a first-round State 4A girls soccer tournament game, 6-0, to Central Arkansas Christian ending the Prairie Grove season at 16-6-1 on Thursday, May 10, 2018.
The final match was a sharp contrast to a hectic 2-1 win at Gentry on Friday, April 3. With a state tournament berth on the line, Gentry fought hard for 80 minutes. Not only did Prairie Grove have to overcome the Lady Pioneers' home field advantage, but also withstood an emotional Gentry squad for seniors playing their last game on their home field. Gentry sophomore Katie Ellis scored a goal while athletic senior Chastery Fuamatu stopped 11 Lady Tiger shots on goal.
Prairie Grove countered with Megan Thompson scoring both goals for the Lady Tigers, each coming off an assist by Jackie Jenkins. Playing goalie, Halbert recorded 8 saves.
Earlier in the season, the schools played to a 0-0 tie at Prairie Grove on March 12. In that match, Halbert stopped several Gentry shots in the second half and played an instrumental role in preserving the shut out.
Prairie Grove got off to an outstanding start, winning the first seven matches of the season. They did not allow a goal until match No. 7, a 2-1 nonconference victory over the Fayetteville junior varsity on March 9.
The Lady Tigers played three matches that day, beating the Springdale junior varsity, 1-0; and Huntsville, 3-0; before facing the Fayetteville junior varsity.
Prior to that the Lady Tigers outscored their opponents by a 15-0 margin beginning with a Feb. 27 season-opening 1-0 on the road at Alma followed by a 3-0 win at Stilwell, Okla. on March 2.
Prairie Grove played the Springdale Har-Ber freshman team winning 2-0 on March 5, and a Lincoln junior varsity squad in its first season as a competitive soccer program (5-0 win on March 6).
Following the 0-0 tie with Gentry, the Lady Tigers suffered losses in two of their next four games over a two-week span. Eureka Springs hosted a match March 13 and Prairie Grove went home with a 5-2 win before losing 5-1 to Harrison on March 15. The Lady Tigers defeated Green Forest, 3-0, on March 30, but lost 1-0 to Shiloh Christian on March 31.
The Lady Tigers began April with a 7-2 road win at Decatur, then lost three straight games to Dardanelle (4-0), Shiloh Christian (2-1), and Berryville (4-0). They forged a 6-game winning streak to complete the regular season starting with a 2-0 win over the Lincoln junior varsity on April 16 followed by wins over Eureka Springs (6-0), Danville (7-0), Huntsville (4-1) and Gentry (2-1).
Thompson led the Lady Tigers with 35 points. She scored 17 goals and added 1 assist during the 2018 season.
Sports on 06/20/2018