After closing out its CIML Conference schedule with a 4-0 victory at Urbandale on Friday, the sixth-ranked Ankeny girls’ soccer team traveled to eastern Iowa on Saturday and posted a 2-1 win at Davenport Assumption, the No. 2 team in Class 1A.
The Hawkettes will take a 9-4-1 overall record into the final week of the regular season.
“The back-to-back games are always tough, especially when you throw in a three-hour bus ride and extremely hot temperatures,” said Ankeny coach Gavin Mason. “Overall, I thought we played well, controlled the game and were unlucky to concede. Credit to Assumption, they have a very strong program and are well disciplined. They of course are the reigning state champs and consistently compete for championships every year, so we knew they would give us a good battle.”
Abby Stetich scored a goal and also had an assist for Ankeny, which also got a goal from Sydney VanHouweling. The Knights dropped to 9-3-1 on the season.
“I’m super happy for Syd to get back on the scoresheet today,” Mason said. “Abby has been playing extremely well for us lately and has come close to scoring several times, so we were very excited for her to get one as well.”
Goalkeeper Paige Hartz made three saves in the win. Fourteen other players saw action for Ankeny in the field.
“We were able to rotate our squad a little bit and see players in some different positions,” Mason said. “I thought the girls adapted well to that and showed us some good things.
On Friday, Ava Paoli scored two goals and added an assist in the win over Urbandale. Ankeny finished fifth in the conference at 4-3-1, while the J-Hawks dropped to 0-7 in the league and 1-9-1 overall.
The Hawkettes held a 2-0 lead at halftime, then tacked on two more goals in the second half.
“It wasn’t our best performance, but we got the job done,” Mason said. “The second half was better than the first, and at the end of the day we did enough. We know that to achieve our goals this season we will need to be much better for 80 minutes than we were. Paige didn’t have much to do on the night, but stayed engaged and was there when called upon for her three saves. Again, the thing I am most pleased about is the clean sheet.”
Avery Taylor had a goal and an assist in the victory. Isabel Squires scored the team’s other goal.
“Overall, it’s always a good weekend to walk away with two wins,” Mason said. “Avery was phenomenal for us across both games. Soph (Kephart) as well defended and organized the back line well for us as always and provided great set piece delivery. Now our focus turns to Thursday.”
That’s when the Hawkettes will host a non-conference game against Dallas Center-Grimes to close out the regular season. The Mustangs (9-1-2) are the No. 3 team in Class 2A.