The Ames boys’ soccer team that showed up for Thursday’s Class 4A substate final was the same squad that lost to Ankeny Centennial 24 days ago on its home pitch.
The sixth-ranked Little Cyclones just played with a lot more energy in the rematch.
Ames avenged a 4-2 loss on May 5 by defeating No. 9 Centennial, 2-1, with a trip to the state tournament on the line. The Little Cyclones (14-3-1) will play in the Class 4A quarterfinals on Monday at a site to be determined.
“It was the same Ames team–just more intensity,” said Centennial coach Brian Duax. “They were hungry, they were angry, they were out for vengeance, and they got it.”
Centennial had dominated the earlier meeting despite losing star forward Tate Duax to a red card about 10 minutes into the first half. That forced the Jaguars to play a man down the rest of the way.
But the momentum from that victory, which ignited a six-game winning streak, did not carry over to Thursday’s contest.
“I think we overlooked them,” Duax said. “We talked about it for 10 straight days. You can’t overlook any of these games. They’re all going to be tough when it’s do or die. Teams come out and they’re hungry, and I didn’t feel that we were hungry until the last half.”
Ames took a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute. The Little Cyclones scored in transition after dribbling the ball through the middle of Centennial’s back line.
“That was an unlucky one,” Duax said. “The center back was going forward–and we won (the ball)–but it hit right off the kid’s chest and went right back to him. I’d say 99 percent of the time, that doesn’t happen. And then he hit a heck of a shot.”
Early in the second half, the Little Cyclones scored what proved to be the game-winner. Ethan Sigurdsson found the net at the 43:43 mark, when he lofted a shot from the left side over the outstretched arms of Centennial goalkeeper Will Kreuger and into the top right corner of the goal.
The Jaguars finally got on the board about 10 minutes later.
After a foul in the midfield, Centennial quickly forwarded the ball to Duax behind the Little Cyclones’ defense. The junior calmly tucked the ball away for his 11th goal of the season.
Unfortunately, the Jaguars were never able to score an equalizer.
“We created a ton of chances in that last half,” Duax said. “We just didn’t put enough of them away.”
After the game, Duax hugged his seniors. They played key roles in a turnaround season that saw the team improve from last year’s 5-12 record to a 13-6 mark in 2025.
“We’ve come a long way, but there’s still a ways to go,” Duax said.
