After getting off to a good start, the seventh-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls’ soccer team gave up a goal midway through the first half and eventually dropped a 2-1 decision at No. 4 Johnston on Tuesday.
Tyler Donaldson scored the first of her two goals for the Dragons in the 24th minute, setting the tone for the game.
“We came out and looked really sharp at the beginning,” said Centennial coach Chris Allen. “We moved the ball around really well, but then Johnston began to pick up some momentum on some counters. They ended up getting a goal when we didn’t clear the ball very well, and it fell to (Donaldson) at the top of the box and she was able to pretty much one-time it and put it back through the mess for a goal.”
Johnston maintained its 1-0 lead until halftime, but the Jaguars tied the game in the 46th minute when Addison Fair scored off an assist by Alanna Pennington. It was the fifth goal of the season for Fair, who earned the start with seniors Averi Porter and Cady Compton battling some knee injuries.
“We kind of reshuffled the formation coming out for the second half, and we were able to score after putting together a good attack,” Allen said. “Addison was able to clean it up in the box. She was in a good position to put the ball away.”
Donaldson later scored the game-winner in the 68th minute. The goal came off a free kick.
“She was able to score off a bobble,” Allen said. “And then we just couldn’t find a way to equalize as the game went on.”
Centennial goalkeeper Kate Bergan made seven saves in the loss. Her counterpart, Meredith Downs, had a pair of saves for the Dragons.
Compton returned to the Jaguars’ lineup late in the game and played about 10-15 minutes.
“She’s not 100 percent yet and was only cleared to play limited minutes,” Allen said. “We were hoping to catch them off guard.”
Centennial is now 1-3 in its last four games. Allen said his team simply needs to put a full game together.
“I know this team is very capable,” he said. “We just have to believe in ourselves and try to avoid some of the lapses we’ve been having. We usually start out pretty strong, and I’ve just got to find a way for us to maintain that level of motivation throughout the game.”
Johnston improved to 4-2 in the CIML Conference and 4-4 overall. The Jaguars’ records dropped to 1-3 and 5-3.
Centennial will compete in the Tournament of Champions on Friday and Saturday at Bettendorf.