The Southeast Polk girls’ soccer team entered Friday’s game against visiting Ankeny Centennial as one of the hottest squads in the CIML Conference.
The 11th-ranked Rams had won their previous five games, the second-longest current streak in the league. Only No. 2 Valley, which had won six straight contests, was riding a longer streak.
But Southeast Polk had not faced an opponent the caliber of No. 3 Centennial over the last 10 days.
The Jaguars got an early goal from Emily Conger on a header, and then dominated the rest of the way for a 6-0 victory. They finished 4-2-2 in the conference and improved to 11-3-2 overall, while the Rams’ records dropped to 2-6 and 7-6-2.
“We set the tone early offensively with a quick goal on a corner to start the game and found a variety of ways to score throughout the match,” said Centennial coach Chris Allen. “Kerigan Miller and Piper Zeman collected their first goals of the season and varsity careers.”
Ava Martin scored her team-leading 11th goal and also had three assists, allowing her to tie the single-season school record with her 13th assist. She equaled the mark set by Kayla Grenier in 2017.
“It was different being out wide, but it was fun being able to 1v1 more and be a little more creative with the ball,” said Martin. “I think we knew we needed to come out with some relentlessness and confidence, and we did just that. I think we played connected and found great scoring opportunities and did a great job of finishing. We also never let them back into the game.”
A week ago, Martin became the school’s career scoring leader with her 42nd goal. She now owns the mark for most career points (115) as well.
But the senior forward is focused entirely on the team’s success.
“This game definitely feels good and will give us good momentum moving into our last regular-season game on Tuesday (at No. 12 Cedar Falls),” Martin said. “Getting some goals and not allowing them to score can build our confidence to keep working hard and grinding out these last few weeks.”
Evie Boyle and Addison Fair each added a goal for Centennial, which also got a pair of assists from Adeline Kroska. The Jaguars outshot Southeast Polk by a 26-3 margin.
“On film, we thought Southeast Polk looked to be very physical, and we didn’t want to suffer any injuries this late in the season of course,” Allen said. “So we challenged the girls to be quick and decisive. They were just that from the opening seconds to the end.”
The shutout was Centennial’s 10th of the season, but its first in the last four games.
“We felt it was a great team win,” Allen said. “We were organized and overwhelming throughout the match, taking care of both sides of the scoreline. The defense did a great job to limit opportunities in our half and walked away with a clean sheet to be proud of.”
The Jaguars will now face another hot team on Tuesday. Cedar Falls (9-3-2) has won five straight games.
