PRAIRIE GROVE -- Prairie Grove sophomore Aniyah Gibbs probably felt like she really was breaking the ice when her goal ended a scoreless tie 24:26 into a match.
The wind remained relentless through two 35 minute halves as Prairie Grove's girls soccer team defeated Lincoln 5-0 on Tuesday, March 6.
Nobody was praying for overtime or extra penalty-kicks or anything that could prolong the match with the wind whipping a chill into players, coaches, officials and spectators alike. The score ensured that could not happen if neither team made another goal for the duration and brought inward sighs of relief because the goal was so long coming.
Gibbs' boot at the 10:34 mark of the first half seemed to break the ice in more ways than one. Three goals were scored in 5:12 as Prairie Grove took a 3-0 lead into the half.
Gibbs contributed an assist with eight minutes to play in the first half as freshman Teagan Higgins joined her in the scoring column with a goal. Higgins is in her first year at Prairie Grove after transferring from Stilwell, Okla. Prairie Grove junior forward Megan Thompson got in the act with a goal with 5:22 showing.
"This year we look good," said Prairie Grove coach Stephanie Mitchell. "We finally have all the components we need. We have a strong offense. We have a strong defense and a great keeper in the back, Jaylia Halbert."
There was at least one person excited about the lengthy amount of play expired before a goal was scored -- Lincoln coach Emilianne Slamons
Slamons liked the defensive effort she witnessed in the Lady Wolves' first-ever competitive soccer match. Lincoln is playing a junior varsity schedule this year, but has to take on more-experienced teams that compete at the varsity level.
"We don't have a varsity team, our kids have never played soccer before," Slamons said. "We held Prairie Grove zero to zero for the first 20 minutes. I'm ecstatic about that. For us to never have played soccer before and hold them to zero to zero the first 20 minutes was awesome. We played great defense. We'll take that key and go with it the rest of the season."
Unphased by the elements, Mitchell toasted the Lady Tigers as she prepared to retrieve hot chocolate from the concession stand for Prairie Grove boys coach Darren Chandler.
"Honestly, it's really fun to watch them, they work so well together," Mitchell said. "We're starting to click."
The Lady Tigers' ranks have been bolstered by transfers such as Gibbs and underclassmen coming out. Numbers have swelled with 25 girls out, which Mitchell notes is Prairie Grove's biggest year ever. Gibbs and Thompson each scored a goal in the second half to make the final margin, 5-0.
Sports on 03/14/2018