It was a rollercoaster of a weekend for the Ankeny girls’ soccer team.
After cruising to a 5-1 victory over fourth-ranked Linn-Mar (Marion) on Friday, the No. 5 Hawkettes dropped a 2-0 decision on Saturday to Waverly-Shell Rock in their final game of the Crosstown Invitational at Ankeny. The Go-Hawks (3-0) are ranked No. 2 in Class 2A.
“Waverly-Shell Rock is an excellent team, and they were organized and difficult for us to break down,” said Ankeny coach Gavin Mason, whose team is now 2-2 on the season. “Credit to them for a good performance. There weren’t a ton of chances to speak of either way.”
Waverly-Shell Rock scored both of its goals with less than 10 minutes left to play. It was the only game of the weekend for the Go-Hawks, who have yet to allow a goal this season.
“Overall, I thought we possessed and played through the midfield well,” Mason said. “We were just too slow in our transitions, and lost focus a little bit at the end which ultimately cost us. Both of those things probably come down to some tired legs and minds after a grueling week. Obviously it’s a disappointing result, and we know that we can be much better than we were.”
On Friday, Ankeny dominated the game against Linn-Mar (1-2). Avery Taylor scored two goals in the first 6 minutes of the opening half, then Ava Paoli found the net with a beautiful shot from the left side in the 23rd minute to give the Hawkettes a 3-0 advantage.
The Lions got their only goal later in the half, but Ankeny then extended its margin on a pair of goals by Isabel Squires in the second half.
“I thought we did a great job to bounce back (from Tuesday’s loss at Valley) and play to our identity,” Mason said. “We were more patient in our build up play, combined well, and took our chances when they came. I also thought we were better organized defensively and in the midfield, and both Kyla (Schaapveld) and Allison (Hawkins) found a lot of good space. Syd (Van Houweling) and Soph (Kephart) both played with great composure defensively and on the ball.
“We talked about starting fast and setting the tone, and the girls did an excellent job of that. The two early goals gave us a huge boost, and we were able to sustain that momentum for the better part of the match,” he added.
The Hawkettes will now have a nine-day layoff before hosting a CIML Conference game against No. 7 Johnston (1-1) on April 21.
“We have some time now to recover and get healthy, and to work on cleaning some things up before we dive into the rest of conference play,” Mason said. “With the character of this group, I have no doubts that the girls will be ready and motivated to respond.”
