With 10 returning starters, the Ankeny boys’ soccer team didn’t need a lot of newcomers to play key roles this season.
But there’s no doubt that senior Lucas Newhard will be an exception.
Newhard scored four goals on Saturday as Ankeny opened its season with a pair of victories in eastern Iowa. The Hawks posted a 1-0 win at Linn-Mar (Marion) in the morning, then went over to Coe College in the afternoon and rolled to a 5-1 triumph over Cedar Rapids Kennedy.
“I’m definitely pleased with the start to the season,” said Ankeny coach Marcus Varnum. “It was big time to get results like that.”
Newhard, who has been home schooled for several years, scored the game’s only goal against Linn-Mar (1-1). He then had a hat trick in the win over Kennedy (0-3).
“Lucas has played with some of the boys through the Iowa Rush, and he decided to come out this year,” Varnum said. “We knew he was going to play a big role, and it’s great to see him scoring as many goals as he has already. We knew he was going to be a threat. He’s a very dynamic striker, and he’s been an awesome addition for us.”
The Hawks overcame some adversity in their opening game. The turf field at Linn-Mar was covered by snow when they arrived for the contest.
“The conditions were pretty tough, but I thought we played well,” Varnum said. “We played through some choppy turf with the snow and got the results we wanted. We took care of business.”
Newhard scored his first goal as an Ankeny player midway through the first half.
“We had multiple chances, and we finally got one in,” Varnum said. “We felt good about ourselves at halftime. Linn-Mar battled back in the second half and put it on us a little bit, but we still felt like we deserved to win.”
In the game against Kennedy, Ankeny scored an own goal in the first half to take the lead for good. The Hawks held a 3-0 advantage at halftime, then added two more goals in the second half.
Hunter Yeatts had one of Ankeny’s goals.
“We caught our stride pretty good and got our legs under us a little bit,” Varnum said. “We created a lot of chances.”
The Hawks will play a non-conference game at Dowling Catholic (1-0) on Tuesday.