Cats’ Seal Conference Championship, 1^st Seed

Just an hour before kick off, the hail, wind and driving rain blew through Little Rock as the El Dorado boys’ soccer team traveled there for their final match of the regular season against the Parkview Patriots.  A win would seal the 6A South conference championship and give them the #1 seed in 6A South going into the State Tournament in Searcy beginning this coming Saturday.  The boys of El Dorado found a formidable adversary in the Patriots but, would ultimately win the contest 1-0.  The Cats’ final regular season match victory propelled the boys to the top of the 6A South heap and they would conclude the season, 13-1-2 overall and 11-1 in conference play.  The Patriots played a highly spirited match against the Cats’ and on more than one occasion threatened their goal.  Senior goalkeeper, Christian Ridings, came up big in those critical situations, ultimately dashing the hope of the Patriot attack.  The Patriots strength, however, was there defensive resolve in keeping the Cats’ at bay.  While the Cats’ were able to launch eleven shots on goal in the first half alone, they all fell silent and the two sides went into the half time break knotted at zeroes.  “Parkview came with a bunker and counter playing style.  They virtually kept eight or nine guys in front of goal and had the resolve and discipline to stand in and not be broken.  Typically in situations like that, we can pull a defensive structure apart at some point.  Parkview did better than anyone we’ve played so far at holding on to shape”, said El Dorado coach Mike O’Donohoe.  It wasn’t until the 64^th minute that the Cats’ would find the loophole in the Patriot defense.  El Dorados’ Hunter Brown played an early cross and senior midfielder, Austin Brown, moving into tight space was able to play a scissor volley on the incoming ball and ultimately “tickle the twine” to give the Cats’ the one goal lead.  “Parkview played as hard as I have ever seen them play through the full eighty and I have to tip my hat to Coach Berjot’ as the preparation that he put into this match was evident.  Their intensity level bordered inspirational”, commented O’Donohoe.  The Cats’ will take off Wednesday and Thursday and will return to training on Friday to prepare for the upcoming State Tournament.  “Typically, we would go straight into prep for the tournament, however, we have some dings, bruises, strains and sprains that we need to heal to bring us back to 100% and a couple of days off is just what the doctor ordered”, concluded O’Donohoe.  The Cats’ drew a first round bye as first seed and will kick it off Monday, the 28^th at 3:00 in Searcy at the Letain Devore Soccer Complex on the Porter Rogers field.  The boys will play the winner of the Sylvan Hills, Lake Hamilton match.

Arkansas High Takes Win Over El Dorado, 5-3, El Dorado Over Benton 4-0.  

 On Saturday, the Razorbacks of Arkansas High brought their ‘A’ game to town and handed the Wildcats’ of El Dorado their first loss on the season.  The Cats’, now 12-1-2 overall and 10-1 in conference play put on a lackluster display in their attempt to maintain their winning streak that began back in February.  The Cats’ looked, initially, as if they were going to put this one in the win column by taking an early 2-1 lead in the contest, but they committed a penal foul in the area and Arkansas Highs’, Alex Avila, converted the penalty kick to make it a 2-2 game.  The goal breathed a new life into the Razorbacks and they continued to bring it to the Cats’ for the next forty minutes. 

El Dorados’ Brandon Caldwell put up the first goal for the Cats’ off an assist from Zack Geurin and Ibrahaim Ouattara would give the Cats’ two more, one from an assist from Caldwell and the other with some individual ball wizardry.  The Cats’ could only hold the 3-2 lead for a short time as Texarkanas’ Avila would put one more up for the Razorbacks giving them the tying goal.  Three was all El Dorado could muster, but the Razorbacks were not through and would add two more before the final horn.  The match ended with the Razorbacks up 5-3.  “To be honest, Coach Newman (Texarkana) brought a better game plan to the field and his boys executed it very well.  Quite simply, I misjudged his intentions for the game and we paid a hefty price for the indiscretion.  The boys played their hearts out for me and I let them down.  To be fair though, I don’t think the dash of humility that we carried away from this match will hurt us.  As a matter of fact I think that it will give us a more balanced character, and at just the right time as we begin our preparations for the state tournament”, commented El Dorado coach Mike O’Donohoe. 

In JV action, the boys beat Texarkana 4-1 improving their overall record to 6-3-1 overall and 6-1-1 in conference.  El Dorados’ goals were scored by Joseph Hickey, Arturo Sanchez, Reeves Alewine and Francisco Mendoza. 

On Friday night the Wildcats’ hosted Benton and added one more to the win column taking down the Panthers, 4-0.  The Cats’ are now 12-0-2 overall and 10-0 in conference.  The boys’ launched 15 shots on goal and found pay dirt on three occasions.  Ibrahaim Ouattara, Zack Geurin and Clay Murphy dismantled the Panther defense giving the Cats’ the 3-0 lead going into the intermission.  The Cats’ defense would not allow a Panther attack to transpire and senior goalkeeper, Christian Ridings, was only threatened on two occasions, both of which he handled with deft skill and prowess.  “Ridings’ is the guy that any coach would love to have as their final line of defense.  His ability at the keeper position is just phenomenal and we are indeed fortunate to have him there”, said

El Dorado coach, Mike O’Donohoe.  The Cats’ continued coming throughout the second half of play and through solid ball movement and sharp transition the boys moved the ball to Ouattara and Ouattara would add an assist to his stats when he put Caldwell onto the end of a driven cross and Caldwells’ volley shot would find net and cap off the scoring for the night.  When it was over the Cats’ would log the win and maintain a clean sheet. 

In JV action, the boys took the Benton Panthers down hard, beating them 6-0.  The win improved the JVs’ record to 5-3-1 overall and 5-1-1 in conference.  Francisco Mendoza had three goals, Joseph Hickey had two and Juan Chavez had one.

El Dorado v L.R. Hall, Win 6-0 

The El Dorado Wildcat boys’ soccer team hosted Little Rock Hall in conference action on Monday night and won the contest, 6-0.  The Cats, now 11-0-2 overall and 9-0 in conference play took command of the match from the outset.  The Cats’ logged their first goal of the night when an unidentified Hall defender miscued a clearance and caused an own goal against his team.  “We were able to get their defense turned and facing their own goal and any time you can get a defense in that situation, good things can happen.  We played a ball on from a corner kick set-piece and the Hall player, looking to put the ball out the end line, inadvertently scored the goal”, said El Dorado coach Mike O’Donohoe.  The next five that El Dorado would score came from solid teamwork, good off the ball movement, spot on passing and pinpoint finishing.  The boys were able to launch eleven quality shots on goal and forward Brandon Caldwell would assist striker, Clay Murphy for goal number two and then Murphy would assist striker, Ibrahaim Ouatarra for goal number three and the Cats’ would go to the locker room at the half time horn up 3-nil.  Just as in the first, the Cats’ brought the game to Hall beginning the second half at a pace Hall just could not match.  Center mid, Hunter Brown, found pay dirt from 30 out, sending ball net ward on a string and all the Hall keeper could do was watch as the rocket rippled the back of his net.  “Hunter has been working on that shot for so long, I’d like to have a picture of his expression when the ball hit net, it had to be priceless”, commented O’Donohoe.  The Cats’ weren’t through however, as Ouatarra would add one more and forward, Cameron Chambers would cap off the scoring for the night putting up one for the boys.  At the final horn, it was El Dorado 6, Little Rock Hall 0.  “The boys are fully grasping our system now and it couldn’t come at a better time.  Everyone is understanding their zones of responsibility not just in the attack phase but in the defensive phase as well.  The lads are doing well, but we have a way to go yet.  Quite simply, several steps remain in the journey”, concluded O’Donohoe.

EHS Hands AHS First Loss 

Four yellow cards and one red card later, the El Dorado High School boys soccer team handed the Razorbacks of Arkansas High their first loss of the season.  The referee looked like a Las Vegas dealer slinging cards but when the dust settled it was the Cats’ on top, 2-0.  The win catapulted the boys to the top of the heap and their record now stands at 10-0-2 overall and 8-0 in conference.  The Cats’ combined two solid halves of play to overcome the Razorbacks with the first half being a defensive battle on both sides of the ball and ending in a 0-0 draw.  “We knew if we could eliminate their wing play and force their center mid onto his left that we could come out on top.  Slaughter, Walters, Geurin and Norman completely shut out their (Arkansas Highs) flank play and once we were comfortable containing them to the central zones we were able to open the attack phase more in the second”, said El Dorado coach Mike O’Donohoe.  With so much riding on the outcome of this match both sides brought the intensity level meter to the red line.  El Dorado appeared to bring their attacking play to another level and was able to rock the Razorbacks on their heels.  Seven minutes into the second half, freshman striker, Ibrahaim Ouatarra, loosed up in space just beyond the Razorback defense and sophomore forward, Clay Murphy, slid a diagonal ball through the back line and onto his run and Ouatarra, from 15 yards out blasted a shot that would break the draw and give the Cats’ the lead. 10 minutes later, Ouatarra would be handed a goal on silver platter when the Razorback keeper mishandled a shot from a free kick and Ouatarra picking up the ensuing deflection finished for goal number two.  El Dorado put up 11 shots on goal while holding the Razorbacks to seven SOGs’ of which senior goalkeeper, Christian Ridings, denied them net through both great positioning and courage or through very athletic saves.  “It is completely exhilarating to see the boys play as tight as they did against Arkansas High; they put up 80 minutes back to front and were virtually mistake free throughout the contest.  We went in with a specific strategy and they implemented it almost to perfection.  Brandon Caldwell has become the driving force up top in our new system and he has brought his game next level.  He seems to have taken to his new position with newfound purpose.  But, more importantly, we played eleven man soccer tonight and singling any one player out would be extremely difficult.  They all contributed brilliantly in one way or another to lead us ultimately to victory”, concluded O’Donohoe.  In JV action, the boys lost to Arkansas High, 2-1.  While their play was inspired and often times a level above their opponent, it wasn’t enough to garner the win.  The JV are now 4-3-1 overall and 4-2-1 in conference.  Junior striker, Francisco Mendoza, logged the lone goal for the JV Cats’.

Wildcat’s Win Two in Soccer 

The El Dorado Wildcat’s traveled to Little Rock on Monday night to face off against Little Rock Christian Academy.  The Cats’ downed the Warriors, 4-3, improving their overall record to 8-0-2.  The Warriors, playing a very strong and tight flank possession game, were denied their strategy throughout the first half of play as the Cats’ forced play to the central zones of the field not allowing the Warriors to develop any sort of threatening attack.  The Cat’s defensive strategy reduced the Warrior attack to an ‘over the top’ style of play.  The Cats’ were poised at the back to intercept the long ball and develop their attack from the back.  In the 21^st minute, forward Ibrahaim Quattra, found striker Brandon Caldwell free on the 18 and Caldwell found the slot, far post, putting up the first goal for the Cats’.  In the 33^rd minute El Dorado was awarded a penalty kick and Caldwell converted to give the Cats’ a two goal lead.  The Warriors would have no part of it and in the 39^th minute would chalk one up cutting their deficit by one.  At the break it was El Dorado 2, Warriors 1.  In the second half the Warriors came out fully charged and took the lead in the first ten minutes.  At the three and six minute mark they found net to put them up 3-2.  El Dorado would once again find pay dirt when Quattra moved onto the receiving end of forward, Clay Murphy’s, cross.  Quattra made short work of the Warrior goalkeeper knotting the score at 3’s with the finish.  The match moved to a higher level of intensity at that point as both sides fought relentlessly to untie the knot.  The Cats’, in the 76^th minute would break the spell and get the go ahead goal when Caldwell, off an assist from Quattra, would go on ‘lock and launch’ to give the Cats’ the winning goal.  “Christian (Little Rock) is an extremely well coached side and Coach Salman does some remarkable things with those young men.  We are very well matched sides and it always comes down to the wire between us, “never a dull moment” as they say.  In my opinion, they (Little Rock Christian) are the most disciplined and structured team we have played to date”, said El Dorado coach Mike O’Donohoe.

In JV action, the boys lost 5-1 with Francisco Mendoza logging the lone goal for the JV Cats’.  The JV Cats’ overall is 3-2-1 and they are 3-0-1 in conference.  

 Lake Hamilton:

On Tuesday, the Cats’ hosted Lake Hamilton handing them a 6-2 defeat.  The Cats improved their overall record to 9-0-2 and their conference record to 7-0 with the win.  The Cats’ launched 19 shots at the Lake Hamilton goal keeper, two of which went on the books as goals and giving the Cats’ a 2-0 lead at the intermission.  Forward, Ibrahaim Quattra, played onto striker, Brandon Caldwell and Caldwells’ finish gave the Cats’ the one goal lead in the 19^th minute.  Ten minutes later midfielder, Avery Norman would chip ball onto midfielder, Zack Geurins’ run and Geurin nodded the ball home in no uncertain terms giving the Cats’ it’s second goal and giving Lake Hamilton a two goal deficit going into the break.  “My hats off to Lake Hamiltons’ keeper, if it weren’t for that guy we’d be looking at the mercy rule in the first (half).  Man, he just played lights out, I mean we had 19 shots on goal and 15 of them were on frame and only 2 in net.  That young man made some spectacular saves and positioned well”, said El Dorado coach Mike O’Donohoe.  In the second half, the Cats’ were able to loosen up the Lake Hamilton defense a bit and create better chances at goal.  While the Cats’ only took six shots on goal they converted four to go up by 6.  “We were a bit more selective in our shooting angles and distances and I think we just wore them down with our possession game and our big field so it opened up cleaner opportunities for us to finish”, commented O’Donohoe.  Quattra logged two assists and a goal for the Cats’ with Norman adding one as well.  Forward, Clay Murphy put up one for the Cats’ and ‘Wheelman’ (central midfielder) Austin Brown finished off the scoring for the night. 

In JV action, the JV Cats’ defeated Lake Hamilton, 8-0 improving their overall record to 4-2-1 and 4-0-1 in conference.  Francisco Mendoza, Arturo Sanchez, Juan Chavez, Greg Thomas, Cameron Chambers and Nick Hardin all led the scoring charge for the boys.  “I think that losing to Little Rock Christian the night before was a wake up call for these guys because they came out and just played a perfect match from back to front.  It was good to see them bounce back from that loss so quickly and bring the ‘A’ game against Lake Hamilton”, commented

El Dorado coach Mike O’Donohoe. 

The Cats’ will return to action on Friday at Texarkana with the JV boys beginning at 4:00 and the Varsity boys at 7:00.

Wildcats Upend ‘Jackets 

By Kev Moye’ News-Times Staff

It was only a matter of time.  In the first half El Dorado received several opportunities to claim the lead, however it didn’t and found itself trailing to Sheridan by three at the intermission.  But, the Wildcats continued to pressure the Yellowjackets and their visitors eventually crumbled in the second half.  The end result was an exciting 4-3 come from behind triumph Friday at the El Dorado Soccer Complex.  The Wildcats finally got on the board when Brandon Caldwell took a pass from Ibrahaim Quattra and scored with 29:17 remaining in the second half.  For the most part, Caldwell’s goal ignited the ‘Cats.  Soon after, El Dorado got back on the board when Quattra scored on a point blank shot.  The assist went to Caldwell as El Dorado had now sliced Sheridan’s advantage to 3-2.  As it had done throughout the match, El Dorado continued to pressure Sheridan.  With just over 20 minutes left in regulation, the Wildcats finally tied the game.  This time Quattra used a header to help his team knot the score at 3-3.  As of now, the game’s momentum had completely swung to El Dorado.  But give Sheridan credit, it was not ready to concede to the ‘Cats.  With 7:40 and 4:48 left in the game the Yellowjackets received golden opportunities to reclaim the lead, but didn’t.  That left the door wide open for

El Dorado to garner a win, and with 4:22 left to play it graciously walked in.  That’s when Caldwell used his left foot to send the ball into the corner of the net for a goal.  Now ahead for the first time, El Dorado did not allow Sheridan to get another quality shot on goal.  When time expired, the Wildcats celebrated as they earned a tough 6A South victory.  El Dorado ended the game on a high note, but it began the contest rather sluggish.  With 29:13 left in the opening half, Sheridan claimed a 1-0 lead.  About nine minutes later, the Yellowjackets took a high pass toward the goal and eventually got it by El Dorado goalkeeper Christian Ridings to increase the lead to 2-0.  The Yellowjackets earned the first half’s final goal when they scored off a corner kick with 12:25 remaining before the intermission.  In the second half, the game had a major change as El Dorado scored four unanswered goals to claim the victory.  The Wildcats will return to action Monday at Little Rock Christian Academy.

In Junior Varsity action the JV Cat’s downed the Sheridan Yellowjackets on Friday night, 6-0 improving their record to 3-1-1 overall and 3-0-1 in conference.  There only loss is to a varsity squad at the Razorback Invitational in Texarkana.  On Friday night, however, they were without question the dominant side as they came en masse’ to overwhelm the Yellowjackets.  The scoring floodgate opened and junior striker Francisco Mendoza would have two, sophomore forward Arturo Sanchez scored one, freshman forward Juan Chavez scored two and senior forward Cameron Chambers would conclude the scoring with one.  “It was a solid and well deserved win by these young men. They were hungry and it clearly showed and they were not going to be denied this win for any reason.  I think that the earlier varsity match inspired them to some degree and they felt compelled to prove themselves as well”, said El Dorado coach Mike O’Donohoe.  El Dorado will kick it off again on Monday against Little Rock Christian at Little Rock Christian field.  Junior Varsity at 4:00 and Varsity at 5:30.

El Dorado Boys Down Hall

The El Dorado Boys soccer team traveled to Little Rock on Wednesday to compete against Little Rock Hall in 6A South soccer conference action.  The Cat’s defeated Hall 10-1 improving there overall record to 6-0-2 and 5-0 in conference.  The Cat’s were clicking on all cylinders from start to finish and it was all Hall could do to try to stave off the onslaught that would ultimately end in a rout.  The first five or six minutes of the match it appeared as though Hall was going to create some problems for the Cat’s defense, but with a couple of adjustments by the boys’ that would be all Hall could muster for the entire match.  The El Dorado defense completely dismantled all attacking threats by Hall and that is where the Cat’s offense took over.  The Cat’s logged thirteen shots on goal and scored five with one coming from a corner kick set piece.  Senior midfielder, Austin Brown, took back the reigns of leadership and led the scoring for the Cat’s putting up the ‘hat trick’ (three goals) for his side.  To round out the first half scoring for the night, senior midfielder, Avery Norman and senior midfielder, Zack Geurin would notch one apiece.  “These guys, Brown, Norman, Geurin, Murphy, Caldwell and freshman, Ibrahaim Quattra are a defenses nightmare.  They are kind of like magicians; you think you see the ball in one place and the next thing you know it’s gone and, well in our case, it reappears in the back of your net.  My confidence level is just off the chart with these young men and they are a formidable threat to any defense we may face”, said El Dorado coach Mike O’Donohoe.  The Cat’s junior varsity would take over in the second half and pick up where the big boys left off.  A mere three minutes into the second half senior forward, Cameron Chambers would find pay dirt and put the Cat’s up by six.  At that point the center official invoked the mercy rule and from that point the remaining time was cut in half.  Not to be outdone, the j.v. Cat’s would go on to put up four more goals with, senior midfielder Greg Thomas, freshman midfielder Juan Chavez, junior midfielder Francisco Mendoza and Chamber’s adding a second to his tally.  Senior, Tyler Daniels and junior, Hunter Brown are credited with assists in the overall effort. 

Caldwell Finishes with 2.5 Seconds Remaining 

El Dorado senior striker, Brandon Caldwell finishes with only 2.5 seconds remaining on the clock as the Cat’s battled to a 2-2 draw with Pulaski Academy Thursday night.  Pulaski Academy, the reigning 5A state champions were stunned when the Wildcat’s mounted one final charge in the last 37 seconds of the match to steal PA’s thunder when all eleven Cat players cast into the attacking third only to overwhelm PA’s defense.  Junior right back, Clay Walters took a throw-in for the boys deep in the attacking third and onto the run of freshman striker, Ibrahaim Quattra whose subsequent shot was deflected by a PA defender back into the run of senior midfielder, Avery Norman.  Norman’s shot was pulled just left to an unidentified Wildcat player who laid the ball back into Norman’s position who then played the ball right into Caldwell’s run and Caldwell made short work of the finish and all that remained was for the PA defense to drop to their knees in disbelief.  When the dust settled, there were but 2.5 seconds remaining in the match and the Cat’s, 5-0-2 overall and 4-0 in conference went into the Spring Break maintaining no losses on the season.  “Excluding the 0-0 draw with Searcy, the reigning 6A state champions; this was without a doubt the best team we have faced this season.  They were completely fluid in their movement and just had incredible speed.  They (Pulaski Academy) are a very well coached side and like us, remain undefeated.  It took us about ten minutes to become acclimated to their turf.  The speed of play on turf is much greater and the rolls are true, unlike grass fields.  On turf, you only have to give the ball half the knock to get the same distance in passing that you would on grass.  Once we settled down to that reality we started to look like a quality side again.  We play a very similar style of soccer, possession oriented and developed opportunities through patience and probing so the match was very entertaining”, said El Dorado coach Mike O’Donohoe.  While the final 37 seconds of the match took the excitement level off the chart it was the patient development of play throughout the match that paid the dividends.  Caldwell, in the 36^th minute gave the Cat’s 1-0 lead off an assist from Norman.  PA, not to be outdone, was awarded a penalty kick with 39 seconds remaining in the half and their shooter made no mistake in his free kick from 12 yards out.  Pulaski’s only goal in the second half came from another penalty kick awarded and at that point they would carry a one goal lead down to the last 2.5 seconds of the match.  “We were able to prevent them from scoring in the run of play, our defensive organization was stellar.  Collins Scott, Clay Walters, ‘Caveman’ Langford and Kyle Slaughter absolutely anchor our defensive strategy and add to that senior goalkeeper, Christian Ridings and we have a formidable force for our opponents to have to deal with.  Eliminate two mistakes and we’re looking at a victory as opposed to a draw.  PK’s (Penalty Kicks) are basically ‘give me goals’.  It’s kind of like a free throw in basketball, everybody stands back while you shoot”, said O’Donohoe.  The Cat’s, now on Spring Break will return to action on April 1^st when they travel to Little Rock to open the second half of conference play against Parkview. 

Ridings Come’s up Big, Cat’s Win 3-0

“Fourteen shots on goal in the first half alone, one goal, we certainly need to work on our finishing skills”, said El Dorado coach Mike O’Donohoe, “we have much work to do”.

The El Dorado boy’s soccer team traveled to Benton on Tuesday and maintained a clean sheet beating the Panthers, 3-0.  The Cat’s improved to 5-0-1 overall and 4-0-0 in conference play.  The Cat’s were scored on early by the Panthers but the goal would not stand as one of the attacking Benton players committed a penal foul in the area.  The goal was waved off and the Cat’s would restart from a direct free kick at the point of infraction.  The Panthers would get one more go at the Cat’s goal in the 27^th minute when the center official awarded Benton a penalty kick.  Senior goalkeeper, Christian Ridings, came up big by denying Benton the goal.  “There are not a handful of keepers that could have stopped that shot.  The focus necessary to stand in and react at that speed on a low, driven, shoe top high ball is just immense, but, that’s just Christian for you”, commented O’Donohoe.  The Cat’s would ride the wave of exhilaration created by Ridings save right on down to Benton’s goal where just two minutes later senior forward, Zack Geurin would find the back of the Panthers net to put the Cat’s up 1-0 and the two sides would go to the break with the Cat’s in the lead.  The Cat’s, having awakened from there first half slumber, brought their game to the Panthers for the next forty minutes and it was all the Panthers could do to even get a touch on ball.  The Cat’s possession game had the Panthers scrambling and sinking to an ‘over the top’ style of soccer.  Junior midfielder, Collins Scott maintained absolute control of his zone of responsibility and was able to frustrate Benton by setting play forward into sharp transition and all Benton could do was commit to the chase and bunker.  The Cat’s defense, anchored by senior central back, Alex Langford and supported by senior left back, Kyle Slaughter and junior right back, Clay Walters would not allow Benton the luxury of breaking past the bottom of the middle third consequently shutting down any hope for a Panther attack.  The Cat’s, more selective in their shot opportunities, were 2 for 5 in the second half improving to a 40% shot average.  Sophomore striker, Clay Murphy would log one for the Cat’s off an assist from Geurin and Geurin would cap off the night’s scoring adding a second to his stats picking off a deflection in the 95% zone.  At the final horn, it was El Dorado 3, Benton 0.

The Wildcat’s will kick it off again on Friday night hosting the Razorbacks of Arkansas High.  Kick off is slated for 4:00 p.m. with the JV boys on field 1. 

Wildcats Take Win, Parkview and Sheridan 

Parkview: The El Dorado Wildcat boys soccer team hosted Parkview of Little Rock on Tuesday, 2.26.08, and added another victory to the ‘win’ column trouncing Parkview by a score of 5-0.  The Cat’s are now 3-0-1 overall and 2-0-0 in conference play.  The first half of play was all Cat’s as they maintained a 75/25 possession ratio against Parkview, however, Parkview’s defense would not bend and bunkered in, refused to be separated.  The Cat’s launched fourteen shots at goal but were just unable to find the back of net.  The Cat defense was equally stingy holding Parkview to no shots at their goal and the two sides at the half would go to break with a 0-0 score-line.  The second half was all El Dorado and the boys would ultimately pick the Parkview defense apart.  Sophomore forward, Clay Murphy logged a ‘hat trick’ while senior forward, Branden Caldwell and senior mid-fielder, Avery Norman would add one apiece to round out the scoring on the night.  Senior midfielder, Zack Geurin, is credited with two assists while senior forward, Cameron Chambers would have one.  “I think the adjustment that we made at the half really allowed the guys to open up the Parkview defense.  In the first half, we kept them concentrated between the perpendicular lines of the eighteen allowing us to probe in possession and set them up for the flank play and early crosses we would ultimately bring to them in the second half.  Once we worked the ball to width it forced their flank backs to have to step to defend  and it began to expose space along their back line of defense and as we stretched them out were able to exploit the space we created and Geurin and Chambers crosses made short work of them as Caldwell and Murphy poised on the end of balls in with well struck finishes”, said El Dorado coach Mike O’Donohoe. 

Sheridan: The Cat’s traveled to Sheridan on Friday and logged win number 3 in conference defeating the Yellowjackets, 3-1.  The Cat’s overall record improved to 4-0-1 and in to conference to 3-0-0.  As with most rivalries, the Sheridan – El Dorado match up would prove to be worth every penny it cost to see.  From the opening whistle it was high speed and the intensity level was off the chart, to say the pace was fierce would be an understatement as the two sides went at each other with distinctly different styles of play.  The Wildcats with their possession oriented game and ability to ping the ball about the deck to force opponents to chase and the Yellowjackets whose direct or ‘over the top’ style of play set the stage for a very entertaining match.  The Cat’s would go on the board first when senior forward Branden Caldwell, in the 21^st minute, made the Sheridan defense pay for a poorly cleared ball that Caldwell was able to get a piece of and put right back down their throat. Sophomore Clay Murphy gave the Cat’s the second goal when senior midfielder, Austin Brown sliced the Sheridan defense with a pass that put Murphy just inside the corner of the eighteen and Murphy did not hesitate to finish launching a 65 mph shot on frame with surgical precision.  The two sides would go to the break with El Dorado ahead, 2-0.  Sheridan struck first six minutes into the second half when Kyle Norris of Sheridan exhibited some deft skill to beat a Wildcat defender and ultimately El Dorado goalkeeper, senior Christian Ridings to put Sheridan within one of catching the Cat’s.  That would be all the scoring Sheridan could muster on the night but the Cat’s would add one more when Murphy moved himself onto the receiving end of a Zack Geurin cross and would cap off the scoring on the night to give the Wildcat’s the victory.   In JV action El Dorado defeated Sheridan 5-0.  The JV improved to 2-1-0 overall and are 2-0-0 in conference.  Their only loss is to a varsity team.  Juan Chavez, Joseph Hickey and Arturo Sanchez logged the goals for the JV with Chavez scoring three,  Sanchez logging one and Hickey one.  “Zack Archer, Tom Oliver, Nick Hardin and Ryan Foster just played brilliantly defensively and need to be recognized for their contribution to this team and to this victory”, commented El Dorado coach Mike O’Donohoe. 

Wildcat’s Open Soccer Season, Down Lake Hamilton 4 – Nil  

The El Dorado Wildcat boys soccer team traveled to Lake Hamilton on Valentine’s Day to face off against the Wolverines.  They defeated Lake Hamilton 4 – 0 giving them a

1-0-0- overall and 1-0-0 in conference record.  Try as they may, the Wolverines of Lake Hamilton just could not crack the defense of the Wildcat’s as the boys at the back allowed only two shots at their goal, both of which were cleaned up by senior goalkeeper Christian Ridings.  The Wolverines could not break from the middle third to really develop any attacking threat as the boys in the back moved to intercept and were quick to transition into the attack phase.  Senior midfielder, Austin Brown, considered to be the field general for the team linked transition and set play into the attacking third where the triple threat of sophomore striker, Clay Murphy, senior striker, Brandon Caldwell and freshman striker Ibrahim Sangurie finalized the attack by putting a “bulge in the old onion bag” as they say.  Murphy logged two goals, Caldwell got one and Sangurie capped it off with one to give the Cat’s the 4 – 0 finish.  “We’ve implemented a new system of play this year designed specifically for this team, it is somewhat unconventional but the guys seem to have taken to it very well.  It is a 3-1-3-1-3 and gives us a 4-7 block in the attack phase and ideally will keep us in the attacking half and in possession for the majority of the match”, commented El Dorado coach Mike O’Donohoe.  The ‘boys at the back’ referred to earlier consist of senior central back, Alex ‘Caveman’ Langford, Junior fullback, Clay Walters and senior fullback, Kyle Slaughter and they are captained by senior goalkeeper, Christian Ridings and they are indeed, “a formidable four” said coach O’Donohoe.  “We are back to the practice pitch on Monday to work at tidying up some loose areas in the system but overall I and the lads feel we have a very strong start to the season”, concluded O’Donohoe.

In J.V. action the Wildcat’s defeated Lake Hamilton 4-0 with the shutout being logged by goalkeepers, Clay Anthony and Jose’ Rivas.  Juan Chavez scored three goals for the Cat’s, two from assists from Joseph Hickey and one from an assist from Arturo Sanchez.  Chavez also assisted in the fourth goal to Sanchez.  The J.V. Cat’s are 1-0-0 overall and 1-0-0 in conference.

The Wildcat’s participated in the Razorback Invitational over the weekend going 1-0-1 in the tournament.  The Cat’s played the defending state champions, Searcy, to a 0-0 draw on Friday.  The boys downed the Hope Bobcat’s 7-1 on Saturday.  Sophomore Clay Murphy put up the ‘Golden Sombrero’ scoring four of the seven goals for the Cat’s three of which were assisted by senior midfielder, Austin Brown.  Brandon Caldwell scored two for the Cat’s with Brown assisting on one of those.  Freshman, Ibrahaim Quattra, finished out the scoring rout helping to give the Cat’s a 2-0-1 overall and 1-0-0 conference record. 

The J.V. boys faced off against the Sheridan varsity boys on Saturday and did a tremendous job holding Sheridan’s varsity to a lone goal in the first.  The J.V. would ultimately drop the contest to Sheridan losing 3-0 but the experience they gained going the distance with a varsity squad has to be exhilarating to coach and team.  The J.V. will be something to contend with down the road.  The J.V. went to 1-1-0 overall and are 1-0-0 in conference play.