Gott, Loeffler, Macke receive all-state honors along with Balashaitis, Martin

Ankeny’s Sophie Loeffler battles for the ball during the Hawkettes’ 2-1 win over visiting Johnston on April 9. Loeffler has been named to the Class 3A all-state team by the Iowa Girls’ Coaches Association. Teammates Emma Gott and Alli Macke were also selected to the squad. (Photo by Drue Wolfe)

Ankeny girls’ soccer standouts Emma Gott, Sophie Loeffler and Alli Macke have received all-state honors from the Iowa Girls’ Coaches Association along with the Ankeny Centennial duo of Maddison Balashaitis and Ava Martin. They were among the 20 players named to the Class 3A squad.

Macke, a junior midfielder, racked up a team-high 15 goals for the Hawkettes. The Iowa recruit also contributed five assists.

Gott, a senior forward, had 14 goals and eight assists. She has committed to play for St. Cloud State along with Loeffler, a junior defender.

Loeffler had one goal and two assists while also helping her team post 11 shutouts. Ankeny posted a 14-5 record, earned a share of the CIML Conference title and reached the Class 3A semifinals.

Ankeny Centennial’s Ava Martin (front) celebrates along with teammate Maddison Balashaitis after scoring one of her three goals during the Jaguars’ 3-0 victory over visiting Johnston on April 23. Both Martin and Balashaitis have been named to the Class 3A all-state team by the Iowa Girls’ Coaches Association. (Photo by Drue Wolfe)

Martin, a junior forward, led the Jaguars with 14 goals and seven assists. Her team went 13-7 and advanced to the state tournament.

Balashaitis, a junior defender, was a key part of a defensive unit that recorded six clean sheets. She also had three goals and an assist.

Bettendorf’s Allison Sanyi was named the Class 3A coach of the year after guiding her team to the state championship. The Bulldogs also led the way with four all-state selections.