Monday’s game at Valley provided an opportunity for the Ankeny boys’ soccer team to avenge last year’s season-ending loss.
The fifth-ranked Hawks not only got their revenge–they did it by the same score.
Lucas Newhard had a hat trick and Ankeny recovered after giving up an early goal to post a 3-1 victory over the Tigers in the non-conference game.
“It was a very exciting night,” said Ankeny coach Marcus Varnum, whose team improved its record to 6-0. “The soccer was high level, the play was good, and there was some high intensity. We took a little time to settle into the game for sure–15 minutes or so. But once we got the ball on the ground and started to play our style, things started to go our way a little bit.”
Valley (1-2) took a 1-0 lead barely 2 minutes into the game when Brandon Orellana-Lemus found the net, booting the ball past Ankeny goalkeeper Kyle Pederson. But the Tigers were thwarted the rest of the way.
Ankeny tied the game on a goal by Newhard in the 8th minute. The senior striker was just getting warmed up.
“I’ve known these boys since playing club ball years back,” said Newhard, who didn’t join the Ankeny squad until this season. “I’ve always wanted to play with them, come in and just help them win games. That’s all I wanted to do, just win games and keep going with my friends.”
In the 33rd minute, Newhard was fouled as he dribbled into the Tigers’ defensive third. On the ensuing direct kick, he blasted the ball into the upper right corner of the net from 30 yards away to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead.
“I got fouled outside the box, and I knew I wanted it,” Newhard said of the direct kick. “My coach didn’t want me to shoot, but I knew it was important for our team. I just had to take a hit and believe in myself and believe in my team. It just went in.”
Midway through the second half, Newhard scored again to complete the hat trick. He has accounted for 11 of the team’s 17 goals this season.
“It was Lucas’ night for sure,” Varnum said. “I don’t know if anyone was going to stop him. That was very exciting for him, but overall I think a lot of our guys stepped up. This was a big test for us, and our guys really proved themselves.”
Late in the game, Pederson was awarded a yellow card after committing a foul in the box. He was replaced by Ben Herwig, who immediately swatted away the ensuing penalty kick to seal the victory.
“Overall, we’re just really glad to get on to 6-0,” Varnum said.
The Hawks will return to Valley Stadium this weekend for three games at the Valley Invitational. They will play Norwalk (0-3) on Friday, then will face Sioux City East (2-1) and Council Bluffs Lincoln (0-1) on Saturday.
“Now we’ve just got to get back to practice (Tuesday) and keep working, and just keep winning games,” Newhard said.