This wasn’t the ending that anybody wanted.
Friday night’s Ankeny Derby showdown between the fourth-ranked Ankeny girls’ soccer team and No. 8 Ankeny Centennial ended in a 0-0 draw when the game was called off early in the second half due to rain and lightning at Northview Stadium. The boys’ contest was postponed to Saturday at 6 p.m.
“I think both teams wanted to wait it out and play, but it was the AD’s call,” said Centennial girls’ coach Chris Allen.
Both Ankeny (7-3-1) and Centennial (6-5-1) had some chances to score, but neither team could find the net in the wet conditions.
“It was difficult because the game was suffering because of the elements,” said Ankeny girls’ coach Simon Brown.
The Jaguars were strengthened by the return of senior midfielder Averi Porter. She played for the first time after missing several games due to a knee injury.
“My heart breaks for Averi. It would’ve been nice to see what we could have done for a whole game,” Allen said. “It’s disappointing, because this game is always one of the biggest memories for the girls.”
The Hawkettes were seeking their first win over Centennial since 2015. Now, they’ll have to wait until next year for another opportunity to end the losing streak–unless the two teams meet in the Class 3A state tournament.
“Hopefully, we’ll both make it to state and maybe we can play again on a nicer day,” Brown said.
The regional pairings are expected to be announced next week. Both Ankeny and Centennial will likely earn No. 1 seeds based on the current rankings.
“I’m not really happy with the result, but hopefully it won’t change the regional seedings,” Brown said.
Both teams will be back in action for CIML Conference games on Tuesday. The Hawkettes will host No. 12 Urbandale (8-5), while Centennial will play at Southeast Polk (6-8).
