Annika Bos has played all over the soccer field in her four seasons at Siloam Springs, but she thinks she might have found her favorite spot in the heart of the Lady Panthers' defense.
Bos, a two-time All-State player, has played all season at center back for the Lady Panthers, who will be making their third straight Class 6A state finals appearance at 10 a.m. on Saturday against Searcy.
"It's my favorite position that I've ever played," Bos said. "I love it."
At 5-foot-8, Bos is one of the taller players on the team and definitely one of the strongest. She's also a vocal leader which is important in the center back position.
"I'm definitely the loudest and the most vocal on the team," she said. "I'm one of the biggest on the team, so it's kind of a fitting position for me."
Bos admits she's enjoyed getting to play an enforcer role with the Lady Panthers' defense.
"I'm not going to lie to you and say that it's not satisfying to lay somebody out," Bos said with a laugh. "It feels pretty good. It's a lot of fun. You kind of have to put your team on your back in that position, which is great."
Having Bos anchor the Lady Panthers' defense is like having another coach on the field, according to Siloam Springs soccer coach Chuck Jones.
"It's hard to lose seniors like Annika," Jones said. "Annika's a great soccer player but she's an even better person and better kid. We're really going to miss her.
"She's such a great communicator on the field. She's like having a coach out there in that she keeps the girls organized. She's also a positive player and she does such a tremendous job in back. She's big and she's physical enough. She's just a dynamite presence in the back."
Bos, a team captain, has been a four-year starter for the Lady Panthers and she's seen the program rise to great heights in her time.
Bos recalls how as a freshman she played midfield and forward for a team that wound up losing 4-0 in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs to Little Rock Christian.
"We got absolutely smashed," Bos said.
That 2012 team finished 9-9-3, but the Lady Panthers won 14 games in Bos' sophomore season and advanced to the program's first state finals where it lost to Searcy 3-1.
Last season, Siloam Springs won 13 games and defeated Mountain Home in penalty kicks in the 6A state championship game.
This year the Lady Panthers are 13-4 heading into the championship game against Searcy.
"To be where we were then and to see where we are now playing in our third state title game, it's pretty amazing to see how the team has developed and gotten better over the years," Bos said. "We've had a lot of talent come through our program, and we've had some people move in. The coaching has been impeccable and amazing. We've been able to develop off of that, and we've been able to build on the year before. It's definitely the team and the chemistry, and we work really well together and that's only gotten more so over the years."
Bos is not the only member of her family playing for a state championship on Saturday. Her little brother Jack Bos, a freshman for the boys soccer team, has also come on strong at defender for the Panthers, who play at noon against Russellville in the 6A boys state title game.
"It has been a happy Bos household this past season," Annika Bos said. "I'm really proud of him. He's doing really well. He used to play center midfield and now he's playing defense. He's taking after his sister."
Bos said she'll carry nothing but fond memories of playing soccer at Siloam Springs.
"Even through the tears of the offseason and all the hardships we had to go through as a team, I look back on high school soccer very fondly," she said. "I'm going to miss it so much. I'm going to miss my family of girls and my family of coaches. This team really has become like my family."
High school soccer may be ending for Bos after Saturday's finals, but her career is not. She signed to play at John Brown University back in early February.
"I can't imagine not continuing my career," she said. "I'm really excited to do it at JBU."
Sports on 05/20/2015