As most of you may know, we had a technical issue on the site that prevented us from uploaded articles for a few days, so this one is a few days behind. Unfortunately the Lady Jacks fell to Robinson in the next round(quarterfinals), but we wanted to go ahead and publish this article for history’s sake. We apologize to our soccer readers for the delay, but appreciate your understanding. We’ll be uploading a post about the Robinson game later today.
LITTLE ROCK – The Warren Lady Jacks opened the 4A State Soccer Playoffs with a dominant 4-1 victory over the Mena Bearcats on Thursday morning at Robinson High School in Little Rock, advancing to the quarterfinals.
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Warren came out aggressive from the opening whistle, with Anna Arroyo nearly putting the Lady Jacks on the board in the 7th minute, her shot ricocheting off the near post. The Lady Jacks controlled possession and kept pressure on Mena’s defense throughout the first half.
Warren capitalized in the 23rd minute when Allison Mondragon calmly converted a penalty kick, placing it low and left past the keeper to give the Lady Jacks a 1-0 lead. Despite the constant attack, Mena briefly stunned Warren by equalizing in the 29th minute with a rare counter-attack goal, tying the match 1-1.
The response from Warren was swift. Gabby Corcules reclaimed the lead in the 33rd minute, and just minutes later, Mondragon added her second of the match in the 36th minute, skipping past two defenders and sneaking a shot just past the Mena keeper to make it 3-1 at the half.
Mondragon continued to terrorize Mena’s backline in the second half, and in the 79th minute, she completed her hat trick with a delicate chipped shot over the advancing goalkeeper, sealing the 4-1 win.
Allie Adair anchored the defense with several key saves, including an early stop in the 3rd minute and a crucial one-on-one save in the 18th.
With the victory, the Lady Jacks advance to the quarterfinals of the 4A State Playoffs. They’ll take the field again tomorrow, Friday, May 16, looking to continue their postseason run.
