All season long, the Ankeny girls’ soccer team overcame a rash of injuries to again boast one of the state’s best defensive units, eventually earning a sixth consecutive trip to the state tournament.
On Wednesday at Cownie Park, the injury bug hit the Hawkettes one more time.
Second-ranked Ankeny lost starting defender Elizabeth Proctor to a likely torn ACL in the first half and went on to drop a 1-0 decision to No. 7 Dowling Catholic in the Class 3A quarterfinals at the state tournament. Lauren McCoy scored the game’s only goal midway through the second half.
“We had some chances today, but we’ve just had too many injuries,” said Ankeny coach Simon Brown. “Half our team is varsity, and the other half is JV. For these girls to make it this far is incredible. They really put their bodies on the line.”
Ankeny had already lost forward Sydney Van Houweling and midfielder Allie Heller to season-ending injuries. Midfielder Emma Gott missed some games due to an injury, and co-leading scorer Camryn Dietz sat out the regional final against Urbandale with a torn retina–although she returned to the lineup on Wednesday with protective glasses.
Starting defender Jenna Pitz has also been dealing with a heart issue, Brown said.
“We have a great bunch of kids,” he said. “And if we have all our girls, maybe we do something better. Everyone has injuries, but I’ve never experienced anything like this with four or five kids hurting as much as they are. I don’t know if it’s the change in our schedule or the training; I’m not really sure. But I’m grateful that they want to sacrifice their bodies for the team. I love coaching these kids, and they’d do anything for the team. They look like they came back from Normandy let alone a soccer match.”
The Maroons (11-6) avenged an earlier 2-0 loss to Ankeny, which ends the season at 12-4-1. The Hawkettes failed to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2017.
Dowling advanced to play No. 3 Johnston (14-4) in Friday’s semifinals. No. 1 Waukee Northwest (17-1) will face No. 4 Valley (15-3) in the other semifinal.
The goal by McCoy was just the third one allowed this season by Ankeny goalkeeper Jasmine Moser, who posted the lowest goals against average in Class 3A the last two years.
“I am amazed by all I have here,” Moser said. “The back line, my midfield, and the forwards all do amazing work. I know the underclassmen are going to be an amazing team this next year and carry on the Hawkette legacy for sure.”
Brown said the winning goal came after his team missed a clearance.
“They got it behind and we made a save, but it landed to (McCoy’s) feet and she tapped it in,” he said.
Moser called it a ticky-tack goal.
“It just kind of got through our back line,” she said. “It was 1v1, I kind of stepped out, and she poked it right over my head.”
Moser was proud of the way the Hawkettes dealt with adversity all season. Wednesday’s injury to Proctor was no different.
“I think that’s where the underclassmen come in,” she said. “People getting hurt but the underclassmen step up. All in all, I feel like our team is just so connected that we can always help each other out and support each other.”
Brown refused to use Proctor’s injury as an excuse for his team’s loss. He just hated to see another one of his players helped off the field.
“She got whacked about 10 minutes into the game, and that’s why I was mad at the referees,” he said. “They didn’t do enough to protect her.”
