The Ankeny boys’ soccer team went unbeaten on a weekend trip to Davenport North, coming away with a win and a tie.
The eighth-ranked Hawks rolled to a 5-0 victory over Muscatine on Friday. They then battled No. 6 Iowa City High to a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
“The score against Iowa City High does not show how well and hard we played,” said Ankeny forward Landon Benge.
After a scoreless first half, both teams scored their lone goal in the second half. Benge connected for his third goal of the weekend off an assist by Austin Lundberg.
It was the third tie of the season for the Little Hawks, who are now 10-1-3. Ankeny’s record stands at 8-4-2.
Goalkeeper Jackson Dockendorff made three saves for the Hawks.
“From every single person who was on the field, there was serious fight and grit to keep going,” Benge said. “The score doesn’t represent how well the team played.”
One night earlier, Ankeny cruised to the win over the Muskies (6-6-2). It was the Hawks’ third shutout of the year.
Ankeny held a 2-0 lead at halftime following a pair of goals from Andrew Loder. He now has six goals on the season.
Benge scored twice and Brian Jimenez added another goal in the final 40 minutes. Those two also had assists along with Loder, Keaton Kobow and Cal Wahlberg.
The assist by Wahlberg was his 14th of the season. He ranks second in Class 4A behind Jonathan Mendez of Dowling Catholic, who has 17.
Benge’s goal on Saturday was the 49th of his career. He has 20 goals this season, which is tied for second in Class 4A behind Mendez’s 26.
Benge was a freshman on the 2022 Ankeny squad that was led by Gatorade Iowa Player of the Year Lucas Newhard, who racked up a school-record 36 goals.
At his current pace, Benge could get within striking distance of the record if the Hawks make a deep run in the postseason. But the Drake recruit said he’s playing for wins–not goals.
“The goal this season wasn’t to beat Lucas but rather just do as much as I can for the team for my final year, and that has resulted in me scoring as much as I have,” he said.
Ankeny will travel to Waukee Northwest on Tuesday for a CIML Conference game against the Wolves, who are 3-1-2 in the league and 6-2-6 overall. They are unbeaten over the last eight games with six ties during that stretch.