Marcus Varnum

The Ankeny boys' soccer players left it all out on the field. The visiting Hawks battled second-ranked Johnston on even terms for much of the game before dropping a 2-0 decision in a Class 4A substate semifinal on Monday. They finished the season with a 4-10 record. "I'm super, super proud of not only the style of play, but the demeanor by which they … [Read more...] about ‘You can’t be anything but proud’: Hawks close out season with hard-fought loss

One goal proved to be enough for the Ankeny boys' soccer team. Sophomore Brian Jimenez scored on a blast from 30 yards out to give the Hawks a 1-0 victory on Tuesday at Urbandale. It was the first goal of the season for Jimenez, who found the top corner of the net. That was all the support that freshman goalkeeper Jackson Dockendorff needed. He went on … [Read more...] about GOOOOOOAL!: Jimenez’s blast gives Ankeny boys 1-0 triumph at Urbandale

Tuesday was a rough night for all four of the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' and girls' soccer teams. All four squads lost on the same night--something that has maybe never happened before. One of those losses came at Waukee Northwest, where the Ankeny boys' team dropped a 4-0 decision to the third-ranked Wolves. "I think it just goes to show that … [Read more...] about Wolves top Ankeny boys in rematch of last year’s Class 3A quarterfinal

It's never easy to play the top-ranked boys' soccer team in the state. But when that squad is coming off its first loss of the season, the degree of difficulty likely goes up exponentially. That was the situation facing Ankeny on Thursday as No. 1 Dowling Catholic looked to rebound from Tuesday's 4-1 loss to No. 12 Johnston. The visiting Maroons … [Read more...] about No. 1 Dowling Catholic overcomes brace by Benge to post 4-2 win over Hawks

After opening the season with a losing skid, the Ankeny boys' soccer team is now on a winning streak. The Hawks got a pair of goals from sophomore Andrew Loder and defeated 16th-ranked Southeast Polk, 2-1, in a CIML Conference game on Tuesday at Ankeny. It was the third straight win after five consecutive losses for Ankeny, which improved to 1-2 in the … [Read more...] about Surging Hawks post 2-1 win over No. 16 S.E. Polk behind Loder’s brace

The Ankeny boys' soccer team picked up its first win of the season on Saturday--and then got another victory just a few hours later. After posting a 1-0 triumph over ninth-ranked Sioux City North in a shootout, the Hawks rolled to an 8-0 win over Sioux City East to improve to 2-5 on the season. Both games were part of the Valley Invitational at Valley … [Read more...] about Hawks win shootout against S.C. North, then roll to 8-0 win over S.C. East

During the first half of Tuesday's game against visiting Johnston, the Ankeny boys' soccer team appeared to be in control of the CIML Conference contest. The Hawks held a 1-0 lead before Johnston scored an equalizer right before halftime that changed the momentum of the game. The Dragons then added two more goals in the second half to post a 3-1 … [Read more...] about Hawks let early lead slip away as Johnston boys rally for 3-1 victory

The Ankeny boys' soccer team had a chance to win Friday's game at Waukee in the final minute of regulation. Instead, the Warriors countered and scored the winning goal with just 5 seconds left for a 3-2 victory in the CIML Conference opener for both teams. "It was a tough way to lose," said Ankeny coach Marcus Varnum. "We were stretched. We were trying … [Read more...] about ‘It was a tough way to lose’: Waukee scores with 5 seconds left to beat Hawks

The windy weather didn't help the Ankeny boys' soccer team on Saturday at Northview Stadium. The Hawks opened the season with a pair of losses to Linn-Mar (Marion) and Cedar Rapids Kennedy, but coach Marcus Varnum refused to blame the unfavorable conditions. "We try to keep the ball on the ground and play a specific style of soccer, but when it's windy … [Read more...] about After losing to Linn-Mar, Hawks’ late rally against C.R. Kennedy falls short

In a matchup between two quality sides, a questionable call can sometimes prove to be the difference. That was the case on Wednesday at the boys' state soccer tournament, where third-ranked Waukee Northwest scored the go-ahead goal on a penalty kick to beat No. 1 Ankeny, 2-1, in the Class 3A quarterfinals. "I may be biased on that, but I don't think … [Read more...] about ‘We fell short of our goals’: No. 1 Hawks ousted by Waukee NW on penalty kick

A pair of first-half goals by Jace Ward proved to be enough for the Ankeny boys' soccer team on Tuesday. Ward found the net twice to give his team a 2-0 lead at halftime, and the top-ranked Hawks held on for a 2-1 victory over visiting Des Moines Hoover in a non-conference game. “Getting through our last regular-season game with a result like that … [Read more...] about Ward scores twice in 1st half, leads Hawks to 2-1 win over Hoover in finale

After beating Waukee Northwest in overtime on Tuesday, the Ankeny boys' soccer team didn't want to share the CIML Iowa Conference title with the Wolves. The second-ranked Hawks made sure that wouldn't happen with a 3-1 victory on Friday at No. 15 Ames. The win clinched the outright league crown. "It was good to get the result from a well-organized and … [Read more...] about CONFERENCE CHAMPS: Hawks finish perfect league season with win at Ames

It took more than 80 minutes, but the Ankeny boys' soccer team clinched at least a share of the CIML Iowa Conference championship on Tuesday. The second-ranked Hawks defeated No. 3 Waukee Northwest, 2-1, on an overtime goal by freshman Landon Benge at Ankeny Stadium. "It was just a massive battle for the entire game," said Ankeny coach Marcus Varnum. … [Read more...] about Benge’s goal in OT gives Hawks at least a share of Iowa Conference crown

It took a team effort for the Ankeny boys' soccer squad to win its first 14 games of the season. When the top-ranked Hawks finally suffered their first loss on Friday, it was a team effort as well. "We're all accountable for this one, myself included," Ankeny coach Marcus Varnum said after the Hawks lost to No. 5 Johnston, 3-2, in double overtime at … [Read more...] about ‘They deserved that one’: Dragons hand Ankeny boys their first loss in 2 OTs

Lucas Newhard and the Ankeny boys' soccer team may not be unstoppable, but nobody has found a way to slow them down yet. Newhard had a hat trick on Friday to lead the top-ranked Hawks to a 6-0 victory over visiting Fort Dodge in a CIML Iowa Conference game. The contest was moved to Ankeny Stadium due to an issue with the lights at Ankeny High … [Read more...] about Hawks romp past Ottumwa, Fort Dodge; Showdown vs. Centennial up next