FAYETTEVILLE -- Siloam Springs' young players came through again and as a result the Lady Panthers successfully defended their state title.
Freshman Megan Hutto's pass found a streaking sophomore Maycee Lance late in the first half and Lance scored in the lower right corner for the match's only goal as Siloam Springs defeated Searcy 1-0 in the Class 6A girls soccer state championship game at Razorback Field.
It's the second straight state championship for Siloam Springs, which defeated Mountain Home in penalty kicks to win the program's first title in 2014.
"It was a very emotional game," said Siloam Springs coach Chuck Jones. "We knew it was going to be a battle from the get-go. Searcy as an excellent team. We talked to our girls that it didn't matter how long it took, we were going to get the job done today. I felt like the last three to four weeks our girls played with tremendous confidence. We have a lot of freshman and sophomores out there. We have great senior leadership, and I'm just so proud of the girls."
The game was a rematch from the 2013 6A title game, which Searcy won 3-1.
Lady Lions coach Larry Stamps said the Lady Panthers have improved a lot since the last time Searcy played them.
"They possess the ball really well and they've got more speed than what they had last time," Stamps said of Siloam Springs. "Our girls kept coming up and saying 'They're fast.' I said 'I know.'"
Searcy (13-2-2) got an up-close look at the Lady Panthers' speed late in the first half when Hutto raced up the far sideline. She kept the ball to herself and crossed with her outside foot to Lance who checked in to the play on a dead run.
"I had two defenders coming at me, but I just kept dribbling because I saw Maycee just a little ways back," Hutto said. "I tried to take a big enough touch so I could run on to it. I knew the goalkeeper was coming on me, so I just used my outside foot."
The pass was perfect for Lance, who scored easily for the Lady Panthers (14-4).
"I knew that Hutto could get it through literally every single defender," Lance said. "So I just had to book it down to the goal. I just paid attention to where the keeper was at and I just tried to place it in the corner."
The goal was Lance's 12th of the season and fourth in the state tournament. Hutto, who was named the most valuable player, recorded her fifth assist of the season and added to a tremendous state tournament run that saw her score five goals.
"(Hutto) was a workhorse for us today," Jones said. "She was always checking in, putting us in good situations. She's pretty special to be a freshman."
Stamps said Searcy put an emphasis on guarding the sideline because of Siloam Springs' speed, but they weren't able to keep up on that goal.
"We were trying to defend the sideline, which you never do that," Stamps said. "You let them have that and defend that goal. But we didn't do that one time and it cost us."
"We just ran into a buzz saw today," Stamps said. "That's a good team out there. They made us look tired. I told the girls, keep your heads up. We'll be back next year."
The Lady Lions had a strong shot on goal in the first half, which Siloam Springs keeper Anna Claire Lewis saved. The Lady Lions struggled to muster any strong scoring opportunities after that.
"Our girls kept their shape very well," Jones said. "I thought (Searcy) got a little excited toward the end and they started taking some long shots that were easy for Anna Claire to handle. They were trying to force some stuff. Our back line has played great all year. They deserve a lot of credit for making teams not look very good."
It was the first state title as a head coach for Jones, who took over the program in early March when longtime coach Jason Bowen was placed on administrative leave, then resigned around a week later. Jones was an assistant soccer coach the past four years under Bowen, but had been reassigned as track coach for most of the year.
"You know I wasn't here at the beginning," Jones said. "In Siloam we do whatever it takes to be a team. I just couldn't be more proud of these girls. It feels special."
For Siloam Springs' seniors, it marks finishing their high school career with two straight state titles.
"It feels awesome," said senior midfielder Kaylie Lane. "There's no words to describe it right now."
Sports on 05/24/2015