A lot of blood, sweat and tears.
The Ankeny boys’ soccer players left it all on the field.
The seventh-ranked Hawks led for much of the game before falling to No. 2 Dowling Catholic, 3-2, in the Class 4A quarterfinals of the state tournament on Wednesday night at Cownie Park. The Maroons never led until Kevin Copic scored the winning goal with just 1 minute 6 seconds left.
“I thought we were going to hold on, but obviously we let it slip through our fingers,” said Ankeny junior Austin Lundberg, who scored the game’s first goal. “But I’m proud of the boys. We executed the game plan well. We just couldn’t hold on for the last few minutes, but it was a good game.”
Dowling (18-2) advanced to play No. 6 Pleasant Valley (16-2) in Friday’s semifinals at 7 p.m. at Mediacom Stadium. Ankeny finished with an 11-9 record under first-year coach Trevor Fuccio.
“The fight they put in and the effort was unmatched for what it’s been all year,” said Fuccio, whose team had dropped a 1-0 decision at Dowling on April 19. “It was the biggest stage of the year, so I’m really proud of the fight. I’m really proud of our senior leadership and really thankful for everything they’ve given this program. We’re close (to being where we want to be).”
Ankeny took a 2-1 lead when Landon Benge found the net in the 57th minute. He beat Dowling defender John Foth on a counter attack, then slotted the ball just inside the left post for his team-leading 14th goal of the season.
“That was the highlight of my night, I guess,” said Benge.
Dowling dominated possession throughout the game, racking up 16 shots along the way. The Maroons eventually scored an equalizer when Josiah Crowder notched his second goal of the game in the 70th minute.
“They were on our half a lot, but I also thought we had some really good chances,” said Ankeny goalkeeper Jackson Dockendorff. “I thought our defense held up very well throughout the game.”
In the final minutes, Dowling continued to attack. The Maroons scored the game-winner after a series of passes through Ankeny’s tired defense, culminating in Crowder’s feed to Copic to set up the goal.
“They definitely have quality all over the pitch,” Fuccio said of the Maroons. “They’ve got some guys who are game-changers. I thought we did really well managing, but just fell a little short at the end.”
There wasn’t much that Dockendorff could do on Copic’s shot.
“I’d have to look back at it to see if there’s something I could have done different, but we’ll move on now,” he said.
Dowling goalkeeper Hudson Porter also played a big role in the victory. He denied a couple of shots from Benge in the first half and also made a save on a header by Dylan Gloviak.
“He’s a huge guy,” Benge said. “He takes a lot of balls out of the air so it makes it hard for us to put in crosses. He had a good night. We had a few good chances that we missed.”
Benge drew a foul in the box about 10 minutes into the game, setting up a penalty kick by Lundberg. Porter got his hand on the ensuing kick, but the ball still went into the net for Lundberg’s eighth goal of the year.
“I just picked my spot and committed,” Lundberg said. “I knew it was in as soon as I shot it. I didn’t have any doubts.”
Dowling responded, though, with Crowder’s first goal in the 21st minute. The Maroons went on to reach the semifinals for the second straight year after missing the state tournament every year from 2014 to 2022.
The loss, meanwhile, won’t define the Hawks’ season.
“I’m very proud of every single person on this team,” Benge said. “They put in work every single day at practice, and I’m very proud of everyone.”
