SBLive Arkansas Top 25 girls soccer rankings (May 22)

Bentonville finishes No. 1

By George Mitchell 

Bentonville wraps up the season still as No. 1, followed by Fayetteville.

The top three spots remained unchanged, but Mount St. Mary moved from No. 12 to 4 after reaching the Class 6A semifinals.

Class 4A Harding Academy also moves up several spots to round out the Top 5. The Wildcats were the only girls team to finish the season undefeated, winning their third consecutive state title. 

Valley View, Central Arkansas Christian and Maumelle make their debut on the list.

1. Bentonville (16-2-2)

The Tigers had to defeat Fayetteville again to win the Class 6A title. Bentonville won 3-0, with each goal from a different player. The Tigers won the 6A-West title by defeating Fayetteville in the final game of the regular season. This was Bentonville’s eighth team soccer title and the first since 2017.

2. Fayetteville (16-2-2)

The Bulldogs finished runner-up in the 6A-West and Class 6A. Fayetteville defeated Northside in the second round and held off Mount St. Mary 4-3 in the semifinals.

3. Rogers (13-4-2)

The Mounties reached the semifinals of the Class 6A tournament by defeating North Little Rock and Little Rock Central. The squad was shut out by Bentonville 3-0 in the semifinals.

4. Mount St. Mary (16-4-3)

The Belles won eight of their last 12 games to finish the season. Mount St. Mary beat Rogers Heritage 3-0 in the quarterfinals before advancing to face Fayetteville in the semis.

5. Harding Academy (19-0)

After winning two Class 3A state championships, the Wildcats moved up a classification, finished the season undefeated, and won the Class 4A state championship. Kloey Fullerton finished with a goal and an assist.

6. Bentonville West (6-7-4)

The Wolverines beat Bryant 1-0 in the first round before falling to Bentonville in the semifinals. Bentonville West had won the title last season.

7. Rogers Heritage (9-5)

The War Eagles defeated Jonesboro in the first round before losing to Mount St. Mary.

8. Fort Smith Northside (9-6-2)

The Lady Bears scored an upset in the first round by defeating Conway 1-0 but fell to Fayetteville in the quarterfinals. All the 6A-West teams advanced to the second round of the tournament.

9. Harrison (21-4-1)

The Goblins clinched the Class 5A title and won 11 consecutive games to finish the season by defeating Pulaski Academy 1-0. Harrison defeated Paragould, Little Rock Christian, and Valley View to reach the finals. Clare Barger had the lone goal in the second half for the win.

10. Pulaski Academy (20-2)

The Bruins had an eight-game winning streak going into the finals and defeated three opponents by a combined score of 16-1. Pulaski Academy won last season’s Class 5A state title, and its only two losses this year were to state champion Harrison and Harding Academy (Class 4A).

11. LR Christian Academy (16-4)

The Warriors defeated Benton 2-0 in the first round but ran into Harrison in the quarterfinals and lost 4-1. The squad finished runner-up in the 5A-Central to Pulaski Academy.

12. El Dorado (18-2)

The Wildcats reached the semifinals after dispatching Vilonia and Russellville.

13. Siloam Springs (16-5-2)

The Panthers won the first round by defeating Greene County Tech 2-1 but fell to Pulaski Academy in the quarterfinals.

14. Russellville (16-4-2)

The Cyclones knocked off Searcy 2-1 before falling to El Dorado 2-1. Russellville finished third in the 5A-West.

15. LR Central (14-4-2)

The Tigers had a bye for the tournament's first round and fell to Rogers in the quarterfinals. Centralfinished second in the 6A-Central.

16. Joe T. Robinson (16-4)

The Senators won seven of the last eight games with 15 shutouts this season. Robinson defeated Hope, Dardanelle, and Brookland to reach the finals. The Senators finished runner-up to Harding Academy in the 4A-North and Class 4A.

17. Brookland (17-4-1)

Two teams from the 4A-North reached the finals of Class 4A. Brookland defeated Bauxite and Gentry to reach the semifinals.

18. Conway (10-4-6)

The Wampus Cats ended the season with three losses and a tie. Theu finished third in the 6A-Central.

19. Episcopal (17-1)

The Wildcats defeated Central Arkansas Christian 3-0 in the finals behind senior Samantha De Luca’s hat trick. Episcopal was undefeated in the 3A-East, and finished runner-up to Harding Academy last season.

20. Bauxite (10-4-1)

The Miners fell to Brookland in the first round of the Class 4A tournament.

21. Central Arkansas Christian (10-4-1)

The Mustangs shut down all three opponents during the state tournament with a combined score of 17-0, but CAC was shut out in the finals.

22. Valley View (16-3-2)

The Blazers won a share of the 5A-East with Searcy and drew the top seed for the tournament. The squad defeated Greenwood and Maumelle before falling to Harrison in the semifinals.

23. Maumelle (14-6)

The Hornets finished third in the 5A-Central behind Pulaski Academy and Little Rock Christian. Maumelle defeated higher-seeded Lakeside (14-5) in the tournament's first round.

24. Life Way Christian (14-2-1)

Life Way reached the semifinals of the Class 3A tournament before falling to Episcopal.

25. Green Forest (10-4)

The Tigers upset the top seed from the 3A-North in the quarterfinals before falling to Central Arkansas Christian in the semifinals.

Outside looking in: Lakeside, Benton, Riverview