(Story by Stephen McDaniel)
In a game where the Ankeny Centennial boys’ soccer team found chance after chance to put the ball in the back of the net, it felt like it was just a matter of time until one went its way.
Goals by junior Alen Mujakovic and senior Kai Byauunda in the second half finally powered the ninth-ranked Jaguars to a 2-0 victory over Marshalltown in a Class 4A substate semifinal on Tuesday at Ankeny Stadium.
“We all fought for each other, and we all trusted in the plan the coaches put ahead of us,” said Mujakovic. “When we’re one unit, I think we’re the best team in the state.”
“It was a whole team effort, and it wasn’t one person,” Byauunda added. “We got this win because we played as a team.”
One of the big things that the Jaguars wanted to focus on as they entered postseason play was trying to nail down some scoring depth.
Centennial found much success throughout the regular season from its junior tandem of Tate Duax and Brock Brazeau, who combined for 16 goals and 12 assists out of the team’s totals of 35 goals and 29 assists.
When opponents start to close in on their top producers, the Jaguars look to get more players involved on the scoresheet.
Mujakovic’s fourth goal of the season and Byauunda’s second were the difference-makers on Tuesday.
“Teams are trying to eliminate Tate going forward, and there has to be other scoring threats to keep them honest,” said Centennial coach Brian Duax, whose team improved to 13-5 on the season. “That’s what happened tonight.”
There was no shortage of chances for the Jaguars in the first 40 minutes, which included Marshalltown goalkeeper Jonathan Nunez making a big save on a Brazeau free kick.
Despite the numerous chances for Centennial, some of its best shot attempts went high or wide of the net.
But it didn’t take very long for the Jaguars to break through in the second half.
“I told them that once we get one, they’ll have to change the way that they play and that’ll allow us to have more space,” coach Duax said.
Just a few minutes into the second half, Duax played a ball to Mason Goble inside the box, which resulted in Goble getting tripped and setting Duax up for a penalty kick.
Centennial’s leading scorer wasn’t able to beat Nunez, but Mujakovic was more than prepared to pounce on the rebound and followed it in.
“I watch a lot of pro soccer, so I take a lot of stuff I see there and try to implement it into my game,” Mujakovic said. “I see a lot of pro players mimicking the run ups of the pen taker to get into the box first. I was a little scared the ref was going to say I came in too early, but luckily I didn’t.”
It was the halfway point of the second half when Byauunda was able to help extend Centennial’s lead.
Byauunda was subbed in just a bit prior to his goal, and the forward followed the coaching staff’s advice to take some chances.
In the 60th minute, junior Ben Ridlen spun around past two defenders and rifled off a shot that required Nunez to hit the turf in order to make the save.
Byauunda was the first to react to the save, sprinting down to the loose ball and blasting it into the net before Nunez had a chance to get fully back on his feet.
“As (Ridlen) shot the ball, I was running, the goalkeeper blocked it out, I went full power on it,” Byauunda said. “I didn’t believe it. I thought I (overshot) it because the ball kind of went up. But I saw everyone celebrating, so I went over and did a backflip.”
Centennial went on to record its fourth straight shutout and its eighth clean sheet of the season. The Bobcats finished with a 9-6-2 record.
Two of the biggest things Centennial is focusing on before its substate final are creating chances and being able to finish those chances.
The Jaguars had plenty of success creating chances in both halves against Marshalltown, but they weren’t able to finish some of them, which kept a couple of goals off the scoreboard and kept the Bobcats within striking distance.
Scoring when they have a chance will be especially important as the Jaguars have a big rematch on Thursday with a trip to the state tournament on the line.
Centennial is slated to face No. 6 and top-seeded Ames after the Little Cyclones posted a 4-0 win over Waukee in the other semifinal on Tuesday. The game is set for a 5 p.m. start at Ames High School.
The Jaguars scored a big 4-2 victory on the same field earlier this month, when Centennial was forced to play a man down after Duax received a red card 10 minutes into the game. Despite that disadvantage, Centennial became one of only three teams this season to defeat Ames (13-3-1).
Coach Duax knows, however, that it will take a tremendous effort if the Jaguars want to earn a state tournament berth.
“It depends which of our group shows up,” Duax said. “That’s what I’ve talked about the last 10 days. If our best group shows up, I like our chances against anybody. If anything but our best team shows up, you never know, especially when it’s do-or-die.”
“We won’t get too confident, but we’re confident that we’ll get through,” Byauunda added.