ROGERS – Rogers boys soccer coach Steve Peck made the decision to cut seven players last year for playing in an adult league without permission. Then he called up players from the junior varsity team to fill those positions.
One of those players was then-freshman Spencer Dunlop. Dunlop gained experience at the varsity level, and he followed that by becoming the Mounties’ leading goal scorer with 20 during his sophomore season.
“I kind of thought that I could help out the team a little bit, but I didn’t know that I was capable of doing this,” Dunlop said.
For his offensive prowess, Dunlop has been named The 2008 Morning News Boys Soccer Player of the Year. Peck’s decision-making beyond just this season earned him The 2008 Morning News Boys Soccer Coach of the Year after leading his team to 17 wins and a conference runner-up finish in the hotly contested 7A-West Conference.
“I was excited about for the team as whole, because if I’m the coach of the year, that means my team did a good job,” Peck said. “I get the gratification of watching these kids play.”
Rogers capped off one of the best seasons in school history with a loss in the semifinals of the state tournament to eventual champion Conway. The Mounties couldn’t derail the Wampus Cats en route to their perfect season, falling 3-1.
But the hot start to the season was what put Peck’s Mounties on the map as the team to beat in Northwest Arkansas. Rogers began the season 10-1-1 after the first 12 games, and Peck found his team ranked as high as ninth in the country, according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
“Not making it to the state championship is a bit disappointing, but to see this team progress and to be at one point ranked ninth in the nation, it was nice,” Peck said.
Dunlop was a part of the Mounties’ early season success. He went on a scoring binge to begin the season and had 15 goals before Spring Break.
Then Dunlop’s began hitting the clutch goals for Rogers down the stretch. On April 21, Dunlop hit the equalizer in the 79th minute against Claremore, Okla., which Rogers won in penalties. Dunlop also recorded a double off the bench in the Mounties’ final conference game en route to a 3-2 win against Springdale High to secure a No. 2 seed.
Dunlop also hit the game winner against state quarterfinalist Van Buren.
“The Van Buren one was great because we went into the game thinking that Van Buren’s a really good team, and we wanted to come out of conference as high as possible,” Dunlop said. “We needed to beat Van Buren to do that, so to get that goal was awesome.”
Peck’s coaching was put to the test at the beginning of conference play as Rogers found itself in a 1-2 hole. But the Mounties rallied off four straight conference victories, capped off by the dramatic win against Springdale.
With the split looming between Rogers High and Rogers Heritage, Peck delivered on a memorable season in Rogers’ final year as a unified high school.
Profiles
STEVE PECK
SCHOOL: Rogers
RECORD: 17-5-1
NOTABLE: Peck has taken Rogers to the Class 7A State Tournament for the past two seasons, bowing out in the quarterfinals and the semifinals, respectively. Peck led the Mounties to a victory and two extra-time defeats in the hotly contested Southern Soccer Challenge in Huntsville, Ala.
SPENCER DUNLOP
SCHOOL: Rogers
CLASS: Sophomore
POSITION: Striker
NOTABLE: Dunlop led Rogers in scoring with 20 goals and four assists for a total of 44 points. He also set a career high with four goals in a game, set on March 13 against Bixby, Okla.
