It took more than 80 minutes, but the Ankeny boys’ soccer team clinched at least a share of the CIML Iowa Conference championship on Tuesday.
The second-ranked Hawks defeated No. 3 Waukee Northwest, 2-1, on an overtime goal by freshman Landon Benge at Ankeny Stadium.
“It was just a massive battle for the entire game,” said Ankeny coach Marcus Varnum. “We have a lot of good things to take away from this win.”
The game went to overtime after an even battle left the two teams tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation. About 4 minutes later, Benge found the net for his fourth goal of the season.
“It was off a ball across the box,” Varnum said. “We showed some scrappiness in the 6 and at the end of the day, Landon had the grit and he put it away. That was really exciting.”
The Hawks improved to 5-0 in the conference and 15-1 overall. Northwest’s records dropped to 3-1 and 12-2.
The Wolves had won nine straight games–including the last seven by shutout.
“This is the kind of team we’re going to be facing down the line hopefully,” Varnum said.
Ankeny bounced back from its first loss of the season. The Hawks had dropped a 3-2 decision to No. 1 Johnston in double overtime on Friday.
“It was a good one to get the momentum back for us. It was definitely a test,” Varnum said. “You never know how a team is going to respond after their first loss, so I’m very proud of how everyone responded. We got the ball moving very quickly, and Northwest did the same. They’re a team that likes to keep possession, and they play a similar style to how we like to play. We definitely knew it was going to be a battle.”
Northwest struck first on a hot and humid night. The Wolves took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Cole Schrage in the 25th minute.
The Hawks then scored the equalizer about 10 minutes later when Lucas Newhard finished a chance for his 30th goal of the year, which ranks third in the state among all scorers.
“That was a good momentum grabber for us going into the second half,” Varnum said.
Ankeny goalkeeper Kyle Pederson thwarted every Northwest shot the rest of the way, giving Benge the opportunity to score the game-winner in overtime.
“I’m very proud of how Pederson played,” Varnum said. ” He probably had his biggest night of tests with shots on frame.”
Ankeny will play at No. 15 Ames (7-4) on Friday. The Hawks can capture the outright league crown with a victory.
