The members of the Ankeny girls’ soccer team may have been a little distracted during Friday’s game against Des Moines Lincoln.
With prom weekend coming up, the fifth-ranked Hawkettes didn’t play their best but still managed to post a 7-0 victory at Cownie Park.
“It was kind of a tough night,” said Ankeny coach Dan Bertsch. “We never really found our groove. It was an off night for us, but sometimes great teams find a way to win when they don’t play their best.
“There were a lot of things going on, but we got the result we needed with a big game coming up,” he added.
Ashley Harrington and Alexis Legg each scored a pair of goals for the Hawkettes. Chloee Kooker had one of the other goals.
Harrington, a sophomore, has been a standout in her first season on the high school squad.
“Ashley just continues to light up the back of the net,” Bertsch said. “She’s finding spots and areas (to score from) all the time.”
The non-conference win raised Ankeny’s record to 6-0. The Hawkettes have posted five shutouts while outscoring their opponents by a 22-2 margin.
“Like most games this year, the biggest competitor is ourselves,” Bertsch said. “The girls just have to find a way to compete within themselves; that’s when their best soccer comes out.”
Ankeny will host No. 9 Ames, the defending Class 3A state champion, on Tuesday. The starting time for the game has been moved to 4:45 p.m.