LINCOLN -- Overlooked in the season-ending 7-0 defeat Lincoln sustained to Maumelle Charter during State Class 3A girls soccer action Thursday lies a miracle of sorts.
Hiding behind the fact the Lady Wolves exited in the first-round of state competition is a wonder that they reached that level of postseason play or were able to compete at all.
Their season didn't climax with an improbable state tournament run. The Lady Wolves didn't even record a single victory -- yet a deeper examination of the program reveals a miracle when evaluating the tremendous level of adversity the Lincoln girls fought to overcome.
Lincoln coaches Angela Guillory and Jordan Watson accomplished amazing things with this group of girls in the face of daunting challenges throughout the season.
12-Player Rotation
Soccer requires a lineup of 11 players on the field at all times, but Lincoln only had 12 girls out for the sport. Of the dozen Lady Wolves on the roster, only five came into the season with previous soccer experience.
With only one substitute available, conditioning became an ever-present factor, especially during the second half of matches. The limited rotation coming off the bench escalated into a crisis during a match at Lifeway Christian in Centerton on Tuesday, April 13.
One of the Lady Wolves got kicked in the chest by a Life Way player, and slumped onto the grass. No foul was called. Watson immediately pointed that out to the nearest official, expressing his concern for the safety of the player and reminded the official it's his job to protect the players by enforcing the rules.
The physicality of soccer is a constant while a match is in progress as players contend for control of the ball.
Lincoln's goalkeeper got stepped on in traffic while diving to make a save more times than she cares to remember.
The Lady Wolves adopted a tenacious mindset and played fearlessly throughout the season -- ignoring the possibilities of injury and rallying around their teammates and coaches.
Limited Opponents
Another major factor Lincoln dealt with radically affected the number of conference opponents on the schedule. Several schools in the 3A West did not field a girls soccer team for the 2021 season. -- leaving the Lincoln girls with just three league opponents. This scenario created a giant hole in the middle of the schedule.
To compensate, Lincoln played a trio of nonconference matches, taking on bigger schools to get its season started.
The Lady Wolves opened at Farmington, losing 5-0. Junior Lynley Bowen and freshman Sara Sisk scored two goals apiece for Farmington while sophomore Emma Ortiz added a goal for the Lady Cardinals, playing their first match as a varsity program on Monday, March 1.
Lincoln lost to Gentry (1-0) on March 5, and at Prairie Grove (6-0) on March 8. The Lady Wolves next played two conference matches, losing 2-0 at home on March 11 to Life Way Christian and to Green Forest (9-0) on March 16.
Those opponents outscored Lincoln 23-0 in the first five matches. Lincoln then went a month without a match before showing resilience in earning a 3-3 tie at Life Way Christian on April 13. That match became the highlight of the season with senior Sena Lund scoring three goals.
Lincoln played at Green Forest two days later on April 15, taking a 14-1 loss, and had another match scheduled against Westville, Okla., in late April, which they didn't get to play. Because of the limited number of teams available for postseason Lincoln opted to fill a slot in the Class 3A bracket, one month after playing their last competitive match on Thursday, May 13, and lost 7-0 to Maumelle Charter.
Lund Signs
Days before that, on Friday, May 7, Lund made program history by becoming the first Lincoln athlete to sign a national letter of intent to play women's college soccer at Allen Community College, of Iola, Kan. Both coaches praised her work ethic and senior leadership.
"I think it's her dedication and commitment to the team. She really wants everyone to do well and she wants the program to excel. She pushes herself to be the absolute best that she can be so that the program can improve, too," Guillory said.
Lund's signing simply reflects a portion of Lincoln's overlooked, underappreciated miracle season.