The Ankeny girls’ soccer team split a pair of games in the Tournament of Champions at Bettendorf over the weekend.
The third-ranked Hawkettes dropped a 2-1 decision to St. Thomas Aquinas (Kan.) in a shootout on Friday afternoon. The game was delayed by rain for about four hours.
“It was a bit of a nightmare,” said Ankeny coach Simon Brown. “We were just waiting around to play, and then when the game finally started, I’m not sure we were mentally ready.”
St. Thomas Aquinas, the No. 20 team in the nation, scored a goal with about 5 minutes to left to take the lead. But Ankeny got the equalizer with 20 seconds to go, when Emma Gott found the net off an assist by Alli Macke.
The Hawkettes lost the ensuing shootout by a 5-4 margin.
“It was a tough game,” Brown said. “That team was unbelievable, but we were two PKs away from beating them.”
On Saturday morning, Ankeny bounced back with a 4-1 victory over Batavia (Ill.). The game was played indoors.
The Hawkettes held a 1-0 advantage at halftime, then added three more goals in the second half. They are now 8-3 on the season.
“We were able to get everyone into the game,” Brown said.
Macke had a pair of goals in the win, while Camryn Dietz contributed three assists. Ava Paoli and Sydney Van Houweling scored the other goals, and Sophie Loeffler added an assist.
“Obviously, the best thing about this tournament is that the kids got to spend some time together,” Brown said.