Zizumbo, Mejia lead Har-Ber to win

Coach Cory Butler and Springdale Har-Ber's boys rolled out of Harmon Stadium with yet another win just as the severe weather rolled in Tuesday night Har-Ber's Jesus Zizumbo found the back of the net twice and Juan Mejia added an insurance goal late in the second half to seal the Wildcats' 3-1 win, their sixth in a row dating back to March 28. Har-Ber improves to 9-1 overall and 4-1 in 7A-West play. Soccer: Zizumbo, Mejia lead Har-Ber to sixth straight win By Scottie Bordelon Posted: April 5, 2017 at 1 a.m. NWA Democrat-Gazette/ANTHONY REYES @NWATONYR Juan Mejia (9) of Springdale Har-Ber closes on Fayetteville keeper Mason Smith as Brayan Alvarado (6) defends Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at Harmon Field in Fayetteville. Mejia later scored on the play. The Wildcats won 3-1. FAYETTEVILLE -- Coach Cory Butler and Springdale Har-Ber's boys rolled out of Harmon Stadium with yet another win just as the severe weather rolled in Tuesday night. NWA Democrat-Gazette/ANTHONY REYES @NWATONYR Jesus Zizumbo of Springdale Har-Ber passes the ball forward against Fayetteville on Tuesday at Harmon Fie... NWA Democrat-Gazette/ANTHONY REYES @NWATONYR Jesus Zizumbo (left) of Springdale Har-Ber passes the ball forward as Jonah Glover of Fayetteville defend... NWA Democrat-Gazette/ANTHONY REYES @NWATONYR Mason Smith, Fayetteville goal keeper, throws the ball back in against Springdale Har-Ber. Har-Ber's Jesus Zizumbo found the back of the net twice and Juan Mejia added an insurance goal late in the second half to seal the Wildcats' 3-1 win, their sixth in a row dating back to March 28. Har-Ber improves to 9-1 overall and 4-1 in 7A-West play. ADVERTISING inRead invented by Teads "Every game is important, especially in conference," Butler said. "We just have to keep playing and playing and not let other things distract us. It's a big win for conference to keep this momentum going. Hopefully, it'll continue into the next game." During Har-Ber's six-match winning streak, the Wildcats are 3-0 in conference action with two wins coming away from home (Bentonville West, Fayetteville). Following a long, action-packed week, Butler said his team is, understandably, fatigued. "They're a little worn out, but we're trying to give them some rest," he said. "Realistically, we played four matches in three days, so those games really wore us out in terms of cramping and injuries we're hoping to get over soon." Zizumbo, though, showed no signs of tired legs or soreness as he handed Har-Ber a 1-0 lead just more than 23 minutes into the match. He then sent the Wildcats into halftime up 2-0 following his second goal with three minutes, 15 seconds left in the half. "He did (play well)," Butler said of Zizumbo. "Most of them played pretty well. We need the majority of them to continue to play well in order to keep winning." Fayetteville's Jonah Glover, after his shot on goal was saved by Har-Ber's keeper in the first half, brought the Bulldogs within 2-1 with just more than 23 minutes left. But Mejia put the finishing touches on the Wildcats' win with 9:39 to play. Postgame, Zizumbo deferred credit to teammates and reiterated Har-Ber's "one day at a time" approach. "It's nothing big," the junior said of his two-goal performance. "We've just got to stay humble and keep it going throughout the season. I think we're playing good, we just need to stop starting out lackadaisical, but we've got it. "I expect us to take (Friday's match at Van Buren) serious," he said. "I think we can finish strong." Fayetteville falls to 4-6 overall and 1-4 in 7A-West play. The Bulldogs next travel to Springdale High on Friday while Har-Ber faces Van Buren on the road to cap its week. The Fayetteville/Har-Ber girls match was postponed due to severe weather in the area.

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ZIZUMBO, MEJIA LEAD HAR-BER TO WIN

SCOTTIE BORDELON

Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette | 4/5/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Anthony Reyes