For the second time in five days, the Ankeny Centennial girls’ soccer team was forced to go to a shootout.
And once again, the Jaguars prevailed.
Seventh-ranked Centennial got a game-ending save from goalkeeper Rylee Litchfield and posted a 2-1 victory at No. 9 Dowling Catholic on Tuesday. The Jaguars improved to 2-0 in the CIML Conference and 4-1 overall, while Dowling fell to 0-2 in the league and overall.
“Although it was unfavorable to go into PKs after giving up the tying goal with under 2 minutes to play, we saw a lot of growth during the shootout,” said Centennial coach Chris Allen. “Rylee had two great saves, smothering the last shot for the win. And our shots that found the net would have been tough saves for any keeper.”
The Maroons made their first two penalty kicks but were matched by goals from Centennial’s McKenna Hilton and Avery Lewis. Litchfield got a save on Dowling’s third kick before the Maroons missed their fourth attempt.
After the Jaguars got a goal from Emmarie Becker to take a 3-2 lead, Litchfield made a sliding grab to her right to end the game.
“We wish we could have protected the lead and finished with a win in regular time, but it will be a good learning opportunity for our fairly young team about how to manage the final minutes of a game,” Allen said. “In the end, we are proud of coming away with the win and keep learning and growing as a team.”
After a scoreless first half, Centennial took a 1-0 lead in the 44th minute when Ava Martin scored her team-leading third goal of the season. She was assisted by Avery Lewis.
“I feel like we started a little slow in the first half, but kind of woke up and came out strong in the second half,” Martin said. “We started connecting more.”
Dowling eventually tied the game in the 78th minute, when the Maroons lobbed a shot over the outstretched arms of Litchfield.
“Dowling came out strong and showed a desire to be the first to the ball and apply some pressure, so it took us a bit to settle into the game,” Allen said. “A game like this is a wakeup call for us to remember how our conference rivals are going to give us everything.”
Neither team was able to score during the 20 minutes of overtime, sending the Jaguars into another shootout. On Friday, they outlasted Omaha (Neb.) Skutt Catholic in a marathon shootout to win a non-conference game.
“I am really proud of how we could get the win and stayed resilient during overtime,” Martin said. “We created a lot of chances, and I feel like in the future we are going to finish more.”
Centennial will host a non-conference game against Iowa City West (3-1) on Friday.