Ankeny senior Landon Benge stood on the field at Mediacom Stadium, his future home as a member of the Drake men's soccer team. His brilliant high school career had just ended a few minutes earlier, short of his ultimate goal. "I am so proud of this team," Benge said as he hugged his teammates after eighth-ranked Ankeny fell to No. 1 Valley, 1-0, in a … [Read more...] about ‘Nobody thought we’d be here’: Hawks end season with semifinal loss to Valley
Trevor Fuccio
‘They deserved it’: Hawks oust Roosevelt, will play No. 1 Valley in Class 4A semifinals
(Story by Stephen McDaniel) For the first time since the 2018 season, the Ankeny boys' soccer team is heading to the state tournament semifinals. The eighth-ranked Hawks got a pair of goals from senior Landon Benge and another from junior Cal Wahlberg to post a 3-1 victory over No. 2 Des Moines Roosevelt in a Class 4A quarterfinal on Monday at Mediacom … [Read more...] about ‘They deserved it’: Hawks oust Roosevelt, will play No. 1 Valley in Class 4A semifinals
Wahlberg’s golden goal sends Hawks back to state tourney in dramatic fashion
(Story by Stephen McDaniel) No matter how the extra time golden goal went in, it was going to be either the game that got away from Ankeny or the major comeback effort that fell just short for visiting Des Moines Lincoln. But in back-to-back seasons, the Hawks will now head into the boys' Class 4A state soccer tournament off the back of a dramatic … [Read more...] about Wahlberg’s golden goal sends Hawks back to state tourney in dramatic fashion
‘We deserve it’: Ankeny boys roll past Cedar Falls behind Benge, Wahlberg
Cal Wahlberg and Landon Benge each scored a pair of goals to lead the Ankeny boys' soccer team to a 6-2 victory over visiting Cedar Falls in a Class 4A substate semifinal on a rainy Tuesday night. Austin Lundberg and Andrew Loder also found the net for the eighth-ranked Hawks, who matched their season-high of six goals in a win over Ames on April … [Read more...] about ‘We deserve it’: Ankeny boys roll past Cedar Falls behind Benge, Wahlberg
‘We are frustrated with the result’: Hawks fall at Urbandale, 3-2, in conference finale
The Ankeny boys' soccer team closed out its CIML Conference schedule with a 3-2 loss at Urbandale on Friday. The seventh-ranked Hawks finished 3-4-1 in the league and dropped to 9-5-2 overall heading into Monday's regular-season finale against visiting Marshalltown. Urbandale raised its records to 5-3 and 9-4. The win allowed the J-Hawks to tie No. 10 … [Read more...] about ‘We are frustrated with the result’: Hawks fall at Urbandale, 3-2, in conference finale
Wahlberg sets school record for assists, Benge scores only goal in Hawks’ road win
Cal Wahlberg picked a good time to make some history. A junior midfielder on the Ankeny boys' soccer team, Wahlberg set a school record with his 15th assist to help the seventh-ranked Hawks to a 1-0 victory at Waukee Northwest on Tuesday. Wahlberg set up Landon Benge for the game's only goal in the first half. "Coming off a season-ending injury … [Read more...] about Wahlberg sets school record for assists, Benge scores only goal in Hawks’ road win
‘We bounced back and played our style!’: Benge, Hawks romp to 5-1 win at Waukee
Even when opposing defenders know that he's getting the ball, Ankeny forward Landon Benge is still pretty hard to contain. The senior racked up two goals and two assists to lead the eighth-ranked Hawks to a 5-1 victory at Waukee in a CIML Conference boys' soccer game on Monday. He now has 17 goals, which is tied for second in Class 4A. "It was a matter … [Read more...] about ‘We bounced back and played our style!’: Benge, Hawks romp to 5-1 win at Waukee
‘It was just 2 very different games’: After beating S.E. Polk, Ankeny boys fall to PV
Perhaps the Pleasant Valley boys' soccer team deserves to be ranked. The Spartans came to Ankeny this weekend and knocked off a pair of ranked opponents in a span of 18 hours. After posting a 3-0 win at No. 10 Ankeny Centennial on Friday night, they followed it up on Saturday morning with a 1-0 win over No. 7 Ankeny at Ankeny Stadium. The Hawks, who … [Read more...] about ‘It was just 2 very different games’: After beating S.E. Polk, Ankeny boys fall to PV
‘We had to remain patient’: Hawks beat Norwalk on Jimenez’s goal in 2nd half
Senior midfielder Brian Jimenez picked a good time to score his first goal of the season for the Ankeny boys' soccer team. Jimenez found the net in the second half for the game's only goal to give the Hawks a 1-0 victory at Norwalk in a non-conference matchup on Saturday. "It was a quality performance," said Ankeny coach Trevor Fuccio, whose team … [Read more...] about ‘We had to remain patient’: Hawks beat Norwalk on Jimenez’s goal in 2nd half
‘I love the fight’: Hawks use dramatic late rally to earn 3-3 tie against No. 5 Johnston
Ankeny boys' soccer coach Trevor Fuccio wasn't happy with his team's effort in the early stages of Tuesday's game against visiting Johnston. The Hawks' performance over the last 10 minutes, though, more than made up for it. Ankeny scored two late goals in a dramatic rally to escape with a 3-3 tie against the two-time defending Class 4A state champions. … [Read more...] about ‘I love the fight’: Hawks use dramatic late rally to earn 3-3 tie against No. 5 Johnston
Hawks win twice at Valley Invite as Benge, Wahlberg combine for 7 goals, 4 assists
Ankeny boys' soccer coach Trevor Fuccio challenged his players to come away with a pair of wins this weekend. The Hawks responded in a big way. After posting a 3-0 triumph over Linn-Mar (Marion) on Friday at the Valley Invitational, Ankeny capped off the tournament Saturday with a 6-4 victory over previously unbeaten Ames. The Hawks are now 4-3 on the … [Read more...] about Hawks win twice at Valley Invite as Benge, Wahlberg combine for 7 goals, 4 assists
‘We’re on a hot streak right now’: Brazeau, Duax lead Centennial boys past Hawks
(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The victories in the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' soccer rivalry tend to alternate every year, and Monday night continued the tradition. Centennial’s junior tandem of Tate Duax and Brock Brazeau linked up for a pair of goals in the span of 3 minutes during the first half. Ankeny cut the lead down off the foot of star … [Read more...] about ‘We’re on a hot streak right now’: Brazeau, Duax lead Centennial boys past Hawks
Hawks romp past Indianola, then top Davenport North on Loder’s late heroics
The Ankeny boys' soccer team evened its overall record at 2-2 by recording a pair of non-conference victories in a span of 24 hours. The Hawks got a late goal from Andrew Loder to beat visiting Davenport North, 2-1, on Friday. Loder scored off a pass from Landon Benge with less than 2 minutes left. The win followed Ankeny's 4-1 triumph at Indianola on … [Read more...] about Hawks romp past Indianola, then top Davenport North on Loder’s late heroics
‘We played well for 45 minutes’: Hawks take early lead before falling at Valley, 3-1
The Ankeny boys' soccer team was hoping to prevent Valley coach Aziz Haffar from reaching a milestone on Tuesday night. And for more than a half, the Hawks did just that. Ankeny built a 1-0 lead before the Tigers rallied for three goals in the final 40 minutes to post a 3-1 victory at Valley Stadium, giving Haffar his 600th career win. "We played … [Read more...] about ‘We played well for 45 minutes’: Hawks take early lead before falling at Valley, 3-1
‘We were very dangerous’: Hawks get hat trick from Benge in 4-3 loss to Dowling
In a rematch from last year's state tournament, the Ankeny boys' soccer team opened its season on Friday with a 4-3 loss to visiting Dowling Catholic at Ankeny Stadium. Landon Benge had a hat trick for the Hawks, but it wasn't enough as Dowling won the CIML Conference game and improved to 2-0 overall. The Maroons also defeated Ankeny, 3-2, in last year's … [Read more...] about ‘We were very dangerous’: Hawks get hat trick from Benge in 4-3 loss to Dowling
Hawks return 10 starters, look to make deep run at Class 4A state tournament
With 10 starters returning from a team that qualified for last year's Class 4A state tournament, the Ankeny boys' soccer players won't be satisfied just with making it back to state this season. The Hawks want to play for a bigger trophy. "The goal is to build on what we accomplished last year," said Ankeny coach Trevor Fuccio, who guided the Hawks to … [Read more...] about Hawks return 10 starters, look to make deep run at Class 4A state tournament
‘We just couldn’t hold on’: Hawks’ late lead slips away in 3-2 loss to No. 2 Dowling
A lot of blood, sweat and tears. The Ankeny boys' soccer players left it all on the field. The seventh-ranked Hawks led for much of the game before falling to No. 2 Dowling Catholic, 3-2, in the Class 4A quarterfinals of the state tournament on Wednesday night at Cownie Park. The Maroons never led until Kevin Copic scored the winning goal with just 1 … [Read more...] about ‘We just couldn’t hold on’: Hawks’ late lead slips away in 3-2 loss to No. 2 Dowling
Doubleday Insurance Coach of the Month: Trevor Fuccio, Ankeny boys’ soccer
The first-year head coach guides his team to a dramatic 2-1 victory over Linn-Mar (Marion) in a Class 4A substate final that punches the Hawks' ticket to the state tournament. … [Read more...] about Doubleday Insurance Coach of the Month: Trevor Fuccio, Ankeny boys’ soccer
Hawks oust C.R. Kennedy behind Benge’s brace, will host Linn-Mar Wednesday
Earlier this season, the Ankeny boys' soccer team defeated Cedar Rapids Kennedy before falling to Linn-Mar (Marion) in overtime on March 30. The Hawks are hoping that history doesn't repeat itself. Eighth-ranked Ankeny opened postseason play on Monday with a 2-0 victory over Kennedy in a Class 4A substate semifinal at Northview. The Hawks (10-8) will … [Read more...] about Hawks oust C.R. Kennedy behind Benge’s brace, will host Linn-Mar Wednesday
Hawks look to regroup after closing out regular season with loss to Urbandale
It's time for the Ankeny boys' soccer team to regroup. The seventh-ranked Hawks closed out the regular season on Tuesday with a 1-0 loss to visiting Urbandale, which snapped a five-game losing skid. The J-Hawks scored the game's only goal midway through the second half at Ankeny Stadium. "We had no injuries and no red (cards), but there were no other … [Read more...] about Hawks look to regroup after closing out regular season with loss to Urbandale