By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
From kids just learning the game to three-time state champions.
Harrison’s decorated senior class went out on top Monday afternoon at Razorback Field in Fayetteville, Ark.
Harrison’s attack – led by game MVP and sophomore Sydney Shrum – thumped Pulaski Academy 5-2 in the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) Class 4A girls’ state title game.
“Just a special group, especially the seniors,” said Harrison coach Chris Pratt. “I’ve coached them since they were itty-bitty. It’s a great way for them to end their careers.”
Goblins goalkeeper Makayla Campbell, one member of Harrison’s 10-player senior class, estimated that she first played under Pratt as a 6-year-old.
“We’ve made a lot of memories together,” Campbell said. “Ending it the right way is definitely the best way.”
The victory gives Harrison its third girls’ soccer state title in four years – the Goblins also won it all in 2016 and 2017 – and seventh overall.
Shrum earned MVP honors with goals in the 14th and 62nd minutes. Her second goal put Harrison up 5-1.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
“I’m thankful for my teammates,” Shrum said. “They got me to where I am today. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Harrison senior and co-captain Brylie Parker gave the Goblins a 2-0 lead when she scored off a free kick in the 27th minute. Pulaski Academy’s Mattie Hatcher scored the first of her two goals in the 34th minute, as Harrison led 2-1 at halftime.
The Goblins quickly took control in the second half. Goals from Claire Doshier (52’) and Olivia Pall (61’) gave the Goblins a 4-1 lead.
“We just kept pressing and pressing. When we got the wind in the second half, that made a big difference,” Pratt said.
Doshier’s goal came after a Pulaski Academy misplay in the back. Pall scored nine minutes later when she juked a defender to gain space and unleashed a blast past the goalkeeper’s outstretched arms.
Shrum put an exclamation point on the onslaught when she got the header off a corner kick from Parker in the 62nd minute.
“I knew we had the potential to do that,” Pratt said of the second-half scoring surge. “There were some spots we went after. I think we did our homework real well.”
Harrison (25-3 overall) out-shot Pulaski Academy 18-9 overall, including a 9-6 edge in shots on goal. Campbell finished with seven saves.
The Goblins also avenged a season-ending loss to Pulaski Academy from a year ago. The second-seeded Bruins beat Harrison, a No. 1 seed, 4-3 in the 2018 Class 4A semifinals.
“They kicked us in the butt, so we were wanting to come back and do the same to them this year,” Campbell said. “We’ve been taking it one game at a time, obviously, but everything that we’ve done has been to prepare for this game here.
“It’s been worth it.”
