The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs soccer teams opened their respective 2025 seasons this past week with matches against Beebe, Huntsville, and Sheridan after last week’s home benefit matches against Maumelle. Before and after the Maumelle contests, both GHS head coaches spoke to this Greenwood Dog Pound writer about their upcoming seasons and their hopes of claiming a postseason berth in the toughest soccer conference in the state, the 5A West.
League members Van Buren, Russellville, and Siloam Springs have been to the top of the soccer mountain peak many times, winning numerous state championships over the past decade or so, leaving the rest of the conference teams scrambling for fourth place at best, and things don’t seem to have changed for the 2025 season. Even worse, new conference members Shiloh Christian (girls only) and Farmington have upped the ante even further. Both GHS head coaches agree on that.
On Thursday, February 27th, Andrew Post watched his Lady Bulldogs struggle to score against Maumelle, losing their benefit match, 4-0. Likewise, Tyler Woods saw his Bulldogs battle to a 0-0 tie in the nightcap at Smith-Robinson Stadium. Both head coaches and their players hope for better offensive showings as the 2025 season unfolds over the next two months.
The GHS girls will travel to Shiloh Christian next Monday for their conference opener before both Greenwood teams host Van Buren on Tuesday. They will travel to Harrison next Friday, also a conference match. Post is assisted by Lundon Lensing while Woods is assisted by her brother-in-law, Ryan Lensing, and volunteer assistant Lane Gassman, a former Bulldogs player.
Beebe, Huntsville, Sheridan
The GHS boys opened their season with a pair of wins over Beebe (4-0) and Huntsville (1-0). The Lady Bulldogs split their first two matches, losing to Beebe (1-3) last Monday before blanking the Huntsville girls (6-0) on Wednesday. The scheduled girls match at Sheridan last Thursday was cancelled while the Bulldogs battled the Yellowjackets to a 1-1 tie.
Against Beebe last Monday, Greenwood junior Haley Curran scored the only goal for the Lady Bulldogs. According to Coach Post, the match was a tale of two halves. “We controlled most of the first half, but didn’t match that effort in the second half. We gave up [three] goals and we missed numerous opportunities to score. Our players are still developing chemistry, and we will learn and grow from the loss,” said the coach.
Two days later, the Lady Bulldogs redeemed themselves against the Lady Eagles, dominating Huntsville 6-0, getting goals from four different players. Senior Ally Thomas and junior Farah Crossno scored twice each while senior Kaya Simpson and freshman Ellie Coggin added solo scoring kicks.
“Our players controlled the game from start to finish,” said Post. “Our defense limited [Huntsville] to a couple shots on goal. It was a good bounce back [win] that will give us some confidence going into conference play Monday against Shiloh Christian,” added the coach.
The GHS boys went to Beebe last Monday and won 4-0. Sophomore Landon Franklin scored the first Greenwood goal. Senior Hudson Meeker scored the second goal on a penalty kick before Beebe had an own goal on a corner kick for the third GHS point. Senior David Coggin then scored the fourth goal on “an awesome shot from about 30 yards out,” according to Head Coach Tyler Woods. “Our defense [also] did a good [job] keeping a clean sheet.”
The Bulldogs then beat the Huntsville Eagles last Wednesday, 1-0. The lone Greenwood goal was netted by Hudson Meeker in the first half. “We had a lot of chances, but just couldn't put any more [goals] away,” said Woods. “[It was an] ugly win, but a win is a win!” the coach posted on the team’s Facebook page.
Last Thursday, the Greenwood junior varsity Bulldogs battled to a scoreless tie at Sheridan. “They did [well] and are getting better,” said Coach Woods. He then watched the GHS varsity squad go down 0-1 to the Yellowjackets at the half before coming back after the break on a free kick by senior Corbin Lamb that hit the bottom of the crossbar and deflected in. “It was from 39 yards away, so it was an awesome goal,” said Woods. “We scored with roughly 22 minutes left in the game and it gave us a lot of energy. We had five or six great chances in the final 15 minutes but couldn't put one away.” It ended in a 1-1 tie.
“It was a lot of soccer in our first week,” he continued. “Our guys are tired, but it was great experience for some of our younger guys and first year starters. [Junior] Davin Cheek is a player that’s been thrust into a starting role at center back on defense and has done really well. The competition level goes up from here, so we will have to keep improving on the fly.
“We are 2-0-1 and looking forward to competing for a playoff spot in our conference. We have four games before spring break and we're going to need to stay healthy and fight hard these four games to gain a good footing. You don't want to be playing catch up in this conference. Every game and every point matters,” said Woods.