The revenge tour is complete for the Ankeny Centennial girls’ soccer team.
The fifth-ranked Jaguars got a pair of goals from Averi Porter and defeated No. 2 Council Bluffs Lincoln, 2-0, in the Class 3A championship game on Saturday at Cownie Park. The win was Centennial’s third in a row at the state tournament against a team it had lost to during the regular season.
“This one was really interesting the way it worked out,” said Centennial coach Chris Allen. “We lost to Council Bluffs Lincoln, we lost to Valley, and we lost to Waukee Northwest, and we kind of went back the other way to get through to the top. The journey to get here was absolutely incredible.”
Porter scored both of her goals during a 2-minute span midway through the first half. That was more than enough for the Jaguars (19-3), who went on to post their 16th shutout of the season.
“It’s one of the best feelings ever. Nothing can top this,” Porter said. “To do it with my teammates and my family is just all I ever wanted.”
Centennial’s Courtney Kovacs was named the captain of the all-tournament team. She was joined on the squad by teammates Kate Bergan, Alanna Pennington and Porter.
Ankeny’s Eden Gibson and Kennedy Macke were also selected to the all-tournament team. They were both repeat picks along with Kovacs, their future teammate at Minnesota State-Mankato.
It’s the third state title for the Jaguars, who also won crowns in 2016 and 2018. It’s the fifth championship overall for Allen, who previously led Ankeny to a pair of titles.
Allen moves into a tie for second on the all-time list behind Valley’s Rob Chapman, who has won seven crowns.
Check back on Sunday for more coverage of the championship game.