Looking to bounce back from Friday’s loss at Waukee, the Ankeny Centennial girls’ soccer team turned to Ava Martin for some offensive production.
The junior forward delivered in a big way.
Martin recorded a hat trick and the fourth-ranked Jaguars defeated No. 12 Johnston, 3-0, in a CIML Conference game on Tuesday at Centennial.
“I just felt like we came at them fiercely from the start and never looked back,” said Martin, who has now scored seven of the team’s 13 goals this season. “We did a great job winning 50-50 balls, and we really just controlled the tempo in all parts of the field. My teammates did a great job winning the ball, which helped put me in areas to score! It was a great team win, good shutout, and a positive place to be going into Bettendorf this weekend.”
Martin scored her first two goals early in the opening half. The first one followed a header by Emmarie Becker off a corner kick by McKenna Hilton.
Shortly thereafter, Martin found the net again when she capitalized on a 1-v-1 against a Johnston defender.
“Ava just kind of showed her resilience and her persistence and kind of went beast mode. She just had a great game,” said Centennial coach Chris Allen. “Ultimately, it was a team effort, but what she did in front of the goal tonight was just phenomenal.”
Martin scored her final goal in the 51st minute. She rebounded her own shot off the crossbar and followed it into the goal.
It was Martin’s second career hat trick. She also had one against Fort Dodge as a freshman.
“I’m proud of the girls for this win,” Allen said. “We got a shutout on the defensive end, and we were able to score three goals against a quality side. I’m proud of the effort to get that result.”
Centennial improved to 3-1 in the conference and 6-2 overall. The Dragons’ records dropped to 1-5 and 4-6.
Goalkeepers Rylee Litchfield and Madeline Stribe combined on the shutout, making a total of two saves against the defending Class 3A champions.
“I am very proud of our team tonight,” said Centennial defender Maddison Balashaitis. “It’s a really good feeling to come back and perform strongly after a tough loss Friday night. We played like a team, and there was no drop off when subs came in and out. It’s good to get a strong win to prove to ourselves and others that we can compete, and we will play hard. There was lots of individual successes tonight that helped contribute to the team. Everyone contributed and made a difference. It’s really good to see that anyone can step in when they are called and make a positive impact.
“Overall, it was a really good team win with a shutout to top it off!” she added.