SHS TEAMS FALL AT HOME IN 6A-CENTRAL OPENER

A phenomenal performance from Conway junior forward Kailyn Pavatt proved to be the difference in Tuesday’s 6A-Central girls soccer opener at Jim Rowland Stadium. Pavatt accounted for all five goals, three of those coming in the second half, to help the Lady Wampus Cats past Southside, 5-1. “The girls, they played their heart out,” Southside coach Bijan Timjani said. “We just don’t have what you would call enough depth. ... We just basically have a young team, and the combination of a lack of experience and lack of depth, that’s what we’re (facing).” Pavatt opened the scoring for Conway (4-1-1, 1-0) with a goal early in the game. But the Mavericks (0-3-1, 0-1) were able to tie the score on a shot from Moorea Kleck off a corner kick midway through the first half. It remained 1-all until late in the half, when Pavatt took advantage of a rebound on a Conway kick attempt and put the ball back in through the net. Then, in a span of seven minutes in the second half, Pavatt broke the game wide open. With less than 17 minutes left, she delivered a shot from about 30 yards which landed directly in the top portion of the net before falling through. Pavatt made it 4-1 minutes later by finding the left side, and she had her fifth and final goal with 9:46 remaining. Conway goalkeeper Reagan Graff came up with two saves. Southside’s goalkeeper, Melanie Rice, stopped 11 shots. Conway 0, Southside 0 (Conway wins on penalty kicks, 3-1) BOYS — After both teams battled to a scoreless game through regulation, the game went into penalty kicks. Conway hit each of its first two attempts, and the Wampus Cats’ Hunter Hull helped seal the win for Conway (3-2-1, 1-0) by making his attempt on the fourth attempt. Southside (2-4, 0-1) evened the score on its first penalty kick attempt, when Cesar Mendoza’s attempt landed in the right corner. But the Mavs weren’t able to convert on their next three attempts. “That’s soccer for you; sometimes it happens,” Timjani said. “They performed well, they performed well. “It was a physical team we went up against; they were physically superior to us. ... Our guys worked hard and their passing was good, it’s just when it counted, we didn’t really finish and we will get better.” Eli Stuart and Omar Pelayo made the first two penalty kick attempts for the Wampus Cats. Southside goalkeeper Salomon Amador came up with three saves in regulation.

SHS TEAMS FALL AT HOME IN 6A-CENTRAL OPENER

BUCK RINGGOLD

Times Record | 3/13/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Jamie Mitchell