The Ankeny boys’ soccer players left it all out on the field.
The visiting Hawks battled second-ranked Johnston on even terms for much of the game before dropping a 2-0 decision in a Class 4A substate semifinal on Monday. They finished the season with a 4-10 record.
“I’m super, super proud of not only the style of play, but the demeanor by which they carried themselves by, the bravery, the passion, every little thing,” said Ankeny coach Marcus Varnum. “These are the things we’ve talked about all year, and they demonstrated every little detail. You can’t be anything but proud as a coach.”
The Hawks were hoping to avenge an earlier 3-1 loss, and for most of the way it was hard to tell which team entered the game as a prohibitive favorite. The Dragons (14-3) advanced to Wednesday’s substate final, but not without a significant challenge.
“From our perspective, I think it was toe-to-toe for a good amount of that game,” Varnum said.
The game was scoreless at halftime and remained that way for another 15 minutes. However, Johnston finally broke the ice when the Hawks failed to clear a ball from their defensive zone, and sophomore Kyron Pope capitalized.
Pope found the net for his team-leading 13th goal of the season.
“Once the one goes in, you can definitely tell a little bit of the air goes out of us,” Varnum said. “But even then, you saw a response from us.”
Ankeny goalkeeper Ben Herwig made several saves to keep his team in the game. He made a valiant effort on a penalty kick by Colby Davis in the 77th minute, but could not prevent the Dragons from adding an insurance goal.
Will Safris had four saves for Johnston, which will host the substate final against Des Moines North (6-6).
“Yes, it sucks to lose,” Varnum said. “And it’s very hard to close this chapter of the season, but the way that these guys stepped on the field and performed fearlessly was amazing.”