Wolves Derby

The Derby 

What a fantastic and unforgettable day it was for the Arkansas Wolves since it was the UPSL Ok-Ar Conference’s inaugural meeting between their Wolves and Wolves II teams. The game was able to be rescheduled and played this past Wednesday, October 5, at C.W Lewis Stadium in Benton, Arkansas, after it was postponed due to a severe rainstorm that hit Benton. The Ar Wolves II are coming off a heartbreaking loss to NWA Legacy, while the Ar Wolves come in with a fantastic dynamic after defeating Clarksville Niupi FC. One team is looking to maintain this positive dynamic, and the other is searching for its first victory of the year.

The Wolves tried to control the game from the outset and dominated possession. Within the opening few minutes of the game, the Wolves had their first opportunity, but Ar Wolves II goalkeeper Stetson Luegerre made an incredible game-high five excellent saves. The game was a struggle for possession, and the Ar Wolves II had some excellent possession plays. They were able to get the ball into the Wolves penalty area by playing quick two-touch soccer and looking for the speed of their strikers, Collin Brown and Jaheim Latham, who whenever they had a gap to exploit, caused problems for the Ar Wolves’ defense. The Ar Wolves created wonderful chances to score, largely coming from their striker Oussenyou, the ingenuity of Matheus, the speed of Cristian Lua from the right, and Patrick Bell from the left, but the Ar Wolves II were able to hold on thanks to strong play from their center backs Dani Husseini and Carlos Bonilla, outstanding work from right back Steven Laguerre in the first half, William Schuurman in the second half, and Franco Leon on the left. In the great battle on the midfield with Litha and Garret Bosley striving to outwork the work ethic of the Ar Wolves II midfield with Russell Garret and Omar Victorino, the game’s midfields displayed excellent work ethics and engaged in an incredible battle the entire time.

The score was 0-0 after 75 minutes of play in such a close and competitive game, During the game’s 80 minutes, the Ar Wolves were awarded a questionable penalty kick. Oussenyou was in charge of scoring the penalty kick and putting the Ar Wolves ahead despite the effort of the Ar Wolves II to try to look for a tie and even having the chance to level the game, it finished with a 1-0 triumph for the Ar Wolves that were down 10 men when Garret Bosley had to leave the game at 35 minutes of the first half after an injury. Both teams fight with everything they got and with the result being the least important thing, it was a fun, intense, entertaining, and amazing game to play and that shows that Arkansas Wolves has a great future on the horizon.

The River Valley Bully’s SC, who tops the conference, will be the opponent of the Ar Wolves II’s first official home game this Saturday, October 8 at C.W Lewis Stadium in Benton, Arkansas. The Ar Wolves, meantime, won’t play at home until October 15 against NWA Legacy to avenge their 1-0 loss in the season opener. 

Excited to follow both teams for the balance of the season and for this game to demonstrate how this team, with its strong work ethic and talent in soccer, can grow not only as an organization but also in terms of its fan base, support from the community, and more when, for the first time, two players (Carlos Bonilla and Garret Bosley) that played and developed in Benton, Arkansas start the game with the Ar Wolves and Ar Wolves II and demonstrate the commitment of the Wolves to their home community.

GO WOLVES!!