‘We put a lot of pressure on them’: Ankeny girls end drought in 2-0 win at Johnston

Ankeny’s Abby Steinkamp (left) celebrates with Izzy Squires after Squires scored a goal during the second half of Tuesday’s game at Johnston. The Hawkettes went on to post a 2-0 victory. (Photo courtesy of Travis Squires)

The Ankeny girls’ soccer team finally found the back of the net.

After going scoreless in their last three games, the fourth-ranked Hawkettes got goals from Abby Steinkamp and Izzy Squires to post a 2-0 victory at No. 11 Johnston on Tuesday.

“We put a lot of pressure on them,” said Ankeny coach Simon Brown. “It’s not easy to win on the road, but we were happy to see a little more offense and see the ball in the back of the net.”

Steinkamp, a freshman, scored her first varsity goal early in the first half. She was assisted by Ava Paoli.

Ankeny’s Abby Steinkamp heads the ball into the net for a goal during the first half of Tuesday’s game. It was the first varsity goal for Steinkamp, who ended a long scoring drought for the Hawkettes. Ankeny had not scored a regular goal in its previous four games. (Photo courtesy of Travis Squires)

“Abby was one of the kids that we moved from the back to try to create a little more offense,” Brown said.

Paoli then picked up her second assist early in the second half. She passed the ball to Squires, who blasted a shot into the net for an insurance goal.

It was Squires’ third goal of the season, tying her with Alli Macke for the team lead.

The Hawkettes went on to post their fifth shutout of the year. The back line was strengthened by the addition of senior Sophie Loeffler, who played for the first time this season after recovering from an ACL tear.

Ankeny’s Sophie Loeffler makes a throw-in pass to teammate Ava Paoli during Tuesday’s game. Paoli had a pair of assists in the Hawkettes’ win, while Loeffler saw her first action of the season after recovering from an ACL injury. (Photo courtesy of Travis Squires)

“She was a first-team all-stater last year, so getting her back is a good sign,” Brown said.

Ankeny improved to 1-1-2 in the CIML Conference and 4-1-2 overall. The Dragons’ records dropped to 1-2 and 3-2-2.

The Hawkettes will host a pair of non-conference games this weekend. They will face Dallas Center-Grimes (4-2-1), the No. 2 team in Class 2A, on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Cedar Rapids Prairie (2-2-2) on Saturday at 1 p.m.