Junior midfielder Cal Wahlberg scored the golden goal in overtime to give the eighth-ranked Ankeny boys’ soccer team a 3-2 victory over No. 10 Des Moines Lincoln in a Class 4A substate final on Thursday at Ankeny. It was his seventh goal of the season.
Wahlberg has helped Ankeny to an 11-5-2 record and a second consecutive trip to the state tournament. The Hawks will play No. 2 Des Moines Roosevelt (17-1-1) in a Class 4A quarterfinal on Monday at 7:30 p.m. at Mediacom Stadium.
Here is some inside info on Wahlberg:
Congratulations on the win over Des Moines Lincoln. How does it feel to be going back to state?
It feels amazing. As a team, we are all very excited to go back and we are hoping to make a deeper run than we did last year.
You scored the winning goal in extra time after your corner kick was punched back out to you. Is that the biggest goal you’ve ever scored?
With the season on the line and a chance to go to the state tournament, it’s definitely the most important goal I’ve scored.
Did you think you had a chance for a goal there, or were you just trying to give one of your teammates a shot at the ball in the box?
I saw Dylan (Gloviak) and Lando(n Benge) at the back post and thought if I put the ball at the back post we would have a good chance to score. The ball went to the back post as I intended, but it just happened to go into the net without a touch from either of them.
Prior to overtime, the two teams combined for three goals in the last 4 minutes after your team had led, 1-0, for most of the game. Was that the craziest finish to a soccer game you’ve ever been a part of?
It was a very hectic and crazy finish to the game. Neither team was going down without a fight, and both teams were pushing forward which led to multiple late goals. It was for sure one of the craziest finishes to a game I’ve been a part of, and the atmosphere in the stadium was super cool.
Your corner kick resulted in a goal by Gloviak with 2:29 left, and he credited you for setting him up with a perfect ball. I’m sure you thought that would be the game-winner, so how difficult was it for the team to get refocused after Lincoln tied it again less than a minute later?
I think as a team this year we’ve dealt with adversity very well and after we got scored on we were able to calm down pretty quickly and head into extra time with a mindset that it was our game to go and win.
That was your 18th assist of the season, which is tied for second in Class 4A. You already broke the single-season school record for assists. Was that a goal for you coming into the season?
Going into the season I was mostly just focused on getting back out on the field and playing again. After I got closer to the record it became more and more of a thought as the season went on, but I was just focused on helping the team win games as best I could and tried to put the record out of mind until I was able to get it.
Many of your assists have led to goals by Benge, who is tied for third in Class 4A with 25 goals. What makes him so effective at finishing his chances?
Landon and I have been playing together since we were young, and I have a good understanding for where he will be and he makes very good runs to put himself in great positions to score. He is very clinical in finishing and has a great feel around the box since he’s been playing striker his whole life.
I know you were injured last year and couldn’t play in the Class 4A quarterfinal loss to Dowling Catholic. Does that make this trip to state even more sweeter for you?
Yes, it makes this year even better for me personally because it’s my first year playing at state. It feels great that I can contribute to the team’s success in the postseason.
Your team will now play Roosevelt–a squad that you scrimmaged against in March. What do you know about the Roughriders, who haven’t lost since their season opener at Dowling on April 1?
Roosevelt is going to be a quality and confident team. We know that they will play with a lot of passion, and it will be a physical game. It will be a good battle for us as they have been playing well this season.
What do you think will be the keys to winning the game?
The keys for us will be finishing our chances as they have a good backline and we have been somewhat wasteful with our chances, and at state every chance we get will be an important one. We also need to be physical as they are a big and athletic team, and we need to give 100 percent effort.
Valley is the No. 1 seed and enters the state tournament with an 18-game winning streak. Do you think the Tigers are the favorite to win the title?
Valley has only lost one game and proven that they can beat any team in the state. With how well they’ve been playing, they are for sure the team to beat but in state every team is good enough to make a deep run.