The 10th-ranked Iowa City High boys’ soccer team found its mojo on Monday.
It resulted in a season-ending loss for Ankeny Centennial.
The Jaguars dropped a 2-0 decision at City High in a Class 4A substate semifinal. The Little Hawks (11-3) had allowed 10 goals while losing their last two games before tournament play.
“It was very emblematic of our season,” said Centennial coach Brian Duax, whose team finished with a 5-12 record. “We had control of the game, we create chances but don’t finish chances, give up one (goal) and can’t claw our way back.”
After Centennial posted a 3-2 victory at then-No. 2 Johnston on April 23, the Jaguars ended the season with five straight losses. They were held scoreless in the final four games–a total of 320 minutes without a goal.
Ten seniors played their final game for Centennial, including captains Ty Duax and Beau Brazeau. Those two were stalwarts on teams that qualified for state in each of the previous three years.
“The Brazeau boys will never play together again, the De La Cubas will never play together again, and the Duax boys will never play together again,” said coach Duax. “It’s crushing.”
City High had three corner kicks in the first 90 seconds of the contest, but could not convert. Still, it seemed like the Little Hawks had gained some early momentum.
“In the first half they were playing a little bit of a wacky formation that took us a little while to get used to,” Duax said. “Even then, they didn’t create a whole lot of chances.”
After Centennial nearly scored on a header in the 18th minute, the Little Hawks scored on a counter about 30 seconds later. Taylor Salinas crossed the ball to Josh Borger Germann, who found the net for the game-winner.
“If we were in a little better position or recognized it a little earlier what they were trying to do, we would have been in better shape to (stop) it,” Duax said of the goal. “But kudos to them for finishing the one or two chances that they had.”
Centennial defender Caleb Murray injured his back on that sequence. He left the game, then briefly returned before exiting for good.
Both Tate and Ty Duax also got banged up during the contest. Tate injured his knee about 9 minutes into the first half and sat out for 7 minutes, while Ty was slow to get up after taking a hard fall in the 53rd minute but stayed on the field.
The Jaguars had some decent scoring chances, including one by Ben Ridlen in the 63rd minute. He stole a City High pass in the Little Hawks’ defensive third, but his ensuing shot sailed just over the crossbar.
The game eventually ended with a controversial finish. The Jaguars were pressing forward in the final minutes in a desperate attempt to score an equalizer when City High’s Lucas Riley hit a blast from the midfield that appeared to go into an open net.
While the Little Hawks celebrated what they thought was a clinching goal, Centennial kept playing and passed the ball up the field as the clock continued to wind down.
“None of the refs knew whether it hit the crossbar or the back post in the goal,” Duax said. “They didn’t call it a goal, but after (Iowa City High) whined and complained, then they called it. I don’t know whether it was a goal or not. I couldn’t tell from where I was standing. The fact that they called it a goal is what it is. We didn’t finish any chances to get it back to 1-1 anyway.
“It didn’t matter if it was 1-0 or 2-0 at the end. It’s still a loss,” he added.
The Little Hawks will play No. 9 Des Moines Roosevelt (12-4) in the substate final on Wednesday at Mediacom Stadium in Des Moines.
