Freshman Ava Martin played a key role this season for the Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball team, coming off the bench as one of the Jaguars’ top reserves.
Now, she’s filling a similar role for the Centennial girls’ soccer team.
Martin had a hat trick and also contributed an assist to lead the fourth-ranked Jaguars to a 12-0 victory on Tuesday at Fort Dodge. The game ended at halftime due to the mercy rule.
“We had good possession the whole time, and we were ready to compete,” said Martin. “We stuck to our game plan, and we did what we planned to do. The goals definitely boosted my confidence.”
Cady Compton had two goals and three assists for the Jaguars, who improved to 3-0 in the CIML Iowa Conference and 7-2 overall. Fort Dodge’s records dropped to 0-2 and 0-3.
“I thought we stuck to our game plan,” Compton said. “And when we weren’t having success in certain ways, we figured out a way to do something else and it turned into a positive. I think we are always growing each game, and it is constantly preparing us for the next game.”
Averi Porter had a goal and two assists for Centennial, while Alanna Pennington added a goal and an assist. Avery Lewis contributed two assists.
“We moved some players around the field to get some different looks, and things looked pretty sharp for the most part,” said Centennial coach Chris Allen. “We have been working on having success from wide areas, and we were able to create a lot of opportunities from those areas. Most of our goals were assisted by an extra pass in the box.”
McKenna Hilton, Courtney Kovacs, Addison Fair and Ella Becker also had goals for the Jaguars. Olivia Kroska and Izzy Sash each added an assist.
“We have challenged ourselves to be more effective on corners, and we produced two goals from those with monster headers from Ella and Courtney on Avery Lewis services,” Allen said.
The Dodgers have been outscored in their three losses, 27-0. They also dropped a 12-0 decision to Ankeny on April 14.
“Stats are certainly not everything, but the statistics will show that we shared the ball well and a variety of players were dangerous even with Fort Dodge’s keeper making some excellent stops,” Allen said.
Goalkeepers Teagan Hall and Kate Bergan combined on the shutout. The Jaguars have outscored their last three opponents, 26-0.
Centennial will play in the Tournament of Champions on Friday and Saturday at Burlington.