The Ankeny boys’ soccer team battled defending Class 4A state champion Johnston on even terms for much of Monday’s game before the host Dragons scored two late goals to escape with a 3-1 victory.
Carlos Martinez had two goals and Lai Mawia added another for the Dragons, who also got two assists from Cael Leach and one from Kyron Pope. It was the 11th straight win dating back to last season for Johnston, which improved to 2-0 in the CIML Conference and 5-0 overall.
The loss dropped Ankeny’s records to 1-1 in the league and 4-2 overall.
The Hawks took a 1-0 lead midway through the second half on a penalty kick by Austin Lundberg. He scored after teammate Landon Benge was fouled in the box, earning him an assist.
But the Dragons tied the game shortly thereafter, then had another goal taken away a few minutes later by an offsides call that led to some controversy. One Johnston coach was issued a yellow card for arguing, then another coach picked up a yellow card as well before the referee then gave him a red card and ejected him.
However, the Dragons eventually scored two more goals to seal the outcome.
Ankeny goalkeeper Jackson Dockendorff finished with eight saves on the night. His Johnston counterpart, Cole Hanson, had six.
The Hawks will face Norwalk (2-3) in the Valley Invitational on Friday at 5:30 p.m.