FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville continued its scoring surge against Rogers on Tuesday.
Senior Skyler Marley scored two goals as Fayetteville rolled to a 5-0 victory over the Mounties in the 6A-West Conference opener for both clubs at Harmon Field. Marley, Forrest Pledger, and Ian Morrison each scored in the first half to give Fayetteville a 3-0 lead. Marley added another goal in the second half when he split two defenders and blasted a shot past the goalie to give Fayetteville a commanding 4-0 lead with 26 minutes, 15 seconds left in the match. Chrispe Mumbre added Fayetteville’s fifth goal with 11:54 to play.
Fayetteville’s outburst followed two tournament games last Saturday at Harrison when the Bulldogs outscored the Goblins 9-0 and Valley View 4-0. Their first tournament game ended in a 0-0 tie with Siloam Springs.
“I don’t know the last time we’ve beaten Rogers 5-0, so that’s a good start (in conference),” Fayetteville coach Brent Crenshaw said. “We connected and played possession soccer, and that’s what we’re trying to teach. We put the pressure on them and took care of business.”
Senior Harrison Ennis earned the shutout in goal for the Bulldogs (3-1-1), who controlled the ball early and dominated play throughout. The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead when Marley scored barely six minutes into the match. Pledger scored 21/2 minutes later to increase the lead to 2-0.
Fayetteville then went into the halftime locker room with a 3-0 lead after Morrison scored on a penalty kick with under 24 minutes left in the first half. Rogers (0-2) had a chance to score early in the match, but Ennis made a diving stop on a shot in front of the goal. Ennis then easily handled a couple of other shots while his teammates built a three-goal lead after 40 minutes.
Fayetteville will face Bixby, Okla., in a nonconference game on Thursday at Harmon Field before returning to 6A-West Conference action at Bentonville West on Tuesday. Rogers will play a league game at Fort Smith Southside on Tuesday.
