Despite some cold and windy weather, the Ankeny girls’ soccer team remained unbeaten with a pair of victories this weekend in the Crosstown Invitational on its home turf.
The second-ranked Hawkettes defeated No. 7 Council Bluffs Lincoln, 1-0, on Friday. They then followed with a 2-0 win over Ames on Saturday to raise their record to 3-0.
Ankeny has yet to allow a goal this season, continuing its defensive dominance from last year when it conceded just two goals in 20 games.
“It was a good weekend for all of the teams that played in the tournament,” said Ankeny coach Simon Brown. “We were able to get two wins, and I thought the overall quality of the tournament was good.”
Friday’s game was a rematch of last year’s Class 3A semifinal that was won by Lincoln, 1-0, in overtime. Both teams were forced to adjust to the gusty conditions.
“It was shocking,” Brown said. “The wind was blowing straight at the benches, so the whole game was played from in front of the sideline.”
Ankeny’s Emma Gott scored the game’s only goal in the first half. She blasted a right-footed rocket from about 18 yards out for the game-winner.
The Lynx dropped to 1-1.
“The one time we were able to get the ball to the other side–with the wind–that was where Emma’s goal came from,” Brown said. “She was shooting it left to right with the wind and was able to get a lot of force behind it.”
Ankeny goalkeeper Jasmine Moser returned to action after sitting out Tuesday’s season opener at North Polk due to an injury. She recorded the shutout on Friday, then shared the goalkeeping duties on Saturday with Claire Close.
“We’re just trying to keep Jasmine healthy,” Brown said. “We’ll probably continue to use both of them throughout the season.”
Camryn Dietz and Jenna Pitz each had a goal in the win over Ames. The Little Cyclones fell to 0-2.
The tournament featured eight teams. The Hawkettes’ crosstown rival, No. 1 Ankeny Centennial, also posted wins over Ames and Council Bluffs Lincoln–capped off by a 7-0 victory over the Lynx on Saturday.
“They took more chances than we did,” Brown said of the Jaguars. “But that was a big win for them. That’s amazing to score seven goals against a top-10 team.”
No. 3 Waukee Northwest and No. 4 Valley also went 2-0 in the tournament with wins over No. 5 Linn-Mar (Marion) and No. 6 Pleasant Valley. Brown got a chance to scout the Tigers, who will return to Ankeny on Tuesday to face the Hawkettes in the CIML Conference opener for both teams.
“We watched them play,” he said. “They’re good. It’ll be a good test for us to play each other. It’s going to be a battle.”