It took awhile for the Ankeny Centennial girls’ soccer team to adjust to the wet conditions on Tuesday.
The fourth-ranked Jaguars still managed to post a 2-0 victory at Urbandale in a non-conference game.
“The turf was definitely wet and caused the ball to skip a little bit unusually,” said Centennial coach Chris Allen. “When you try to play the ball like it is when it’s dry, it just doesn’t play the same. So we kind of bounced the ball off each other a little bit. But in the end, we were able to secure the victory and keep the sheet clean. It was a pretty good team effort.”
Centennial (3-1) took a 1-0 lead when Cady Compton scored a goal in the 22nd minute. She headed the ball into the net off a free kick by Averi Porter.
“It was nothing real pretty,” Allen said. “The cross came in and the keeper popped it up into the air, and Cady challenged the ball and was able to put it away. It was a real scrappy goal by her.”
Urbandale (1-2) kept its deficit at 1-0 until halftime, but the Jaguars then added another goal early in the second half. McKenna Hilton found the net in the 42nd minute after a long through ball from Porter.
“McKenna took advantage of the pressure she was putting on the center back,” Allen said. “It was another really gritty effort.”
Centennial goalkeepers Kate Bergan and Teagan Hall each made a save, combining on the shutout. Bergan played the first 70 minutes before Hall closed out the game.
“Urbandale came out in a high press system, and it took us awhile to figure them out,” Allen said. “There was a lot of play in the midfield. I don’t think either team had a lot of chances, but Urbandale had a few breakaways on us. Kate did a nice job of covering things up, and Teagan had a nice save, too.”
Centennial will play another non-conference game at No. 13 Johnston (2-1) on Friday.