LADY GOBLINS BEGIN STATE AS NO. 1 SEED

BATESVILLE — Harrison’s senior girls soccer team is familiar with the state tournament. The Lady Goblins have six state titles in the trophy case. 2016 and 2017 were the most recent. On Thursday morning, Harrison takes its No. 1 seed from the 4A-West into the Class 4A State Soccer Tournament with hopes of adding another championship. Harrison is currently riding a nine-game winning streak and hasn’t allowed a goal since early April while cruising to a 21-3-1 record this season. The Lady Goblins are paired in the opening game of the tournament against the host team of Batesville. Batesville has an 11-9 record on the season and is the fourth seed from the 4A-North. Despite being a top seed, Harrison will be the visitor on the scoreboard due to the fact that Batesville will be playing on its home field. Harrison head coach Chris Pratt doesn’t see that as any added pressure. The coach replied, “It just means we get to wear blue.” The Lady Goblins faced Batesville in the quarterfinals last year of the state tournament and defeated the Lady Pioneers by a 3-0 mark. Coach Pratt commented about what will be the difference from last year, “They were a quality team last year. I know they return one of their forwards from last year and I would expect most of their attack to go through her.” The coach continued, “I have a feeling they will play us similar to the way our conference opponents played us with lots of numbers on defense and counter attack when possible.” Defensively, Harrison has given up four goals over the past two months. “We take a lot of pride in not giving many opportunities to our opponents,” said the coach. “Our midfield, defense and keeper consist of all but one senior. There is a ton of experience back there.” Despite having such a successful season thus far, the coach knows that he has to keep his team on their toes. “I have been on them about every little mistake we made over the last two months in preparation for what we will face this week,” Pratt stressed. “They look at me crazy when we are winning by four goals and I am barking at them about proper coverage and dropping. However, in the end they know that I have the best intentions in mind for them to be successful down the road.” The Lady Goblins will stick to what got them where they are instead of trying anything new. The coach commented about fine tuning the team, “We will play our game and make adjustments as needed during the game. Experience all over the field helps us a ton.” Pratt concluded by mentioning the toughness and strengths that his team possesses, “We are tough to play against because we do a lot of things well. We can attack and be dangerous in different ways depending on the situation. We can adjust formations to fit about anyone we play.” Harrison’s game with Batesville begins at 9 a.m. on Thursday. The winner will play at Southside High School in the quarterfinals at 10 a.m. on Friday against the winner of Stuttgart and Arkadelphia. Facebook Twitter Email Print Save

LADY GOBLINS BEGIN STATE AS NO. 1 SEED

RODNEY BEAVER

Harrison Daily Times | 5/13/2019

PHOTO CREDIT: Rodney Beaver