The Ankeny girls’ soccer team has discovered a potent formula.
Already boasting one of the state’s best defenses, the Hawkettes have been strengthened in recent games by the explosive scoring ability of senior Alli Macke, who is among the top midfielders in Iowa.
That combination was on full display Monday night, when Macke scored a pair of goals to lead fifth-ranked Ankeny to a 2-0 victory in a non-conference game at North Polk–the No. 3 team in Class 2A.
“Alli is stepping up at the end of the season and becoming the player we thought she could be with a flurry of goals,” said Ankeny coach Simon Brown. “A lot of good things are happening right now.”
Macke has scored 11 of the team’s 21 goals this season. Seven of her goals have come in the last three games.
The Hawkettes, who raised their record to 8-2-2, will now host No. 1 Waukee Northwest (10-1) on Tuesday.
“We’re super excited for that game to see how we match up against Northwest and to see what we can improve on before the postseason,” said Macke. “It’ll be a good challenge for us, but we’ve been playing really well the last few games so hopefully we can take that into Tuesday’s game.”
Macke put the Hawkettes ahead on Monday with a spectacular goal in the 36th minute. She fired a shot from nearly 30 yards away that went just under the crossbar and eluded the reach of North Polk goalkeeper Madelyn Cory.
Ava Paoli was credited with the assist, her team-leading sixth of the season.
“That goal was probably farther out than where I normally have scored from this year,” Macke said.
The Iowa recruit later scored again to seal the victory with about 3 minutes left to play.
“That one came off of our press in the final third,” Macke said. “Our forwards did a nice job to put their back line under pressure, and I was able to jump a pass played into the midfield and get a quick shot off from the top of the box.”
Brown has moved Macke around the field in an effort to confuse opposing defenders. The strategy is working.
“We’re putting her in a couple of different positions that creates a little confusion for the opposition, and when she finds the ball and is driving, I don’t think there is anyone in the state like her who can take on the back line like she can and get past four or five people,” Brown said. “It’s a credit to her for all the work she is doing.”
While Macke took care of the offense, Ankeny’s defense was again superb. The Hawkettes recorded their third straight shutout and their ninth clean sheet of the season.
North Polk, which dropped to 10-2-2, had been averaging nearly five goals per game. The Comets were held scoreless for the first time.
“We were happy to get the win first and foremost, but also happy that we got another clean sheet,” Brown said. “We’re doing some nice things in the back despite playing three different goalkeepers.”
Senior Sylvia Bartlett has handled most of the goalkeeping duties in recent games. She made three saves on Monday before freshman Paige Hartz took over for the last few minutes.
“Sylvia has done a great job,” Brown said. “We also have Paige, who will be the goalkeeper of the future. We were blessed with three good goalkeepers this year.”
Fifteen different players saw some action for the Hawkettes. Macke took eight of the team’s 21 shots.
“It was a little hotter than we wanted it to be, but maybe that will get the girls climatized to play in hotter temperatures,” Brown said.
Northwest enters Tuesday’s game with a perfect 6-0 record in the CIML Conference. The Wolves have outscored their league opponents by a 16-2 margin.
Northwest’s only loss came at Gretna East (Neb.), 5-1, on April 26.
“They’re a feisty team,” Brown said. “They’ve got so much quality all over the field, and they’ve got depth on the bench. We have to match them player for player, and we’re going to need a little luck. We want to show that we can compete with them, but if things don’t go our way, it doesn’t mean that it’s over. We might get another shot at them in June when it really matters.
“We’re not a finished product just yet. But we’ll see where we’re at on Tuesday,” he added.
