With a few players not in the lineup from each side on Tuesday, a potential postseason rematch on May 22 could look a little different for Class 3A No. 10 Newton and fourth-ranked Dallas Center-Grimes.
Newton head boys soccer coach Zach Jensen also hopes for a different result.
The Mustangs broke open a 1-all halftime tie with three second-half goals and claimed the Little Hawkeye Conference championship following a 4-1 victory at H.A. Lynn Stadium.
“I feel like we are competing well with the best teams we’ve played even though the scoreline maybe doesn’t show that,” Jensen said. “Hopefully we have another shot at them in a couple of weeks.”
A potential rematch would come in the 3A Substate 5 championship match. Jensen is hoping to have starting defensive midfielder Cody Klein back for that contest, while DCG also was missing three starters, including leading scorer Ben Jackson.
The Mustangs controlled the ball for most of the contest on Tuesday. Newton had 17-11 and 11-7 disadvantages in shots and shots on goal, respectively.
DCG scored first in the 16th minute to go up 1-0, but Nate Lampe’s equalizer on a relatively long free kick cleared the hands of DCG keeper Jaden Mendias, who finished with four saves in the win.
That was all the Cardinals (10-5, 3-3 in conference) could muster though as a penalty kick goal in the 45th minute from DCG’s Tate McDermott ended up being the difference.
The Mustangs added goals in the 47th minute and 63rd minute to pull away.
“We just have to keep the ball better and put away the opportunities we do have,” Jensen said. “We need to create more chances, too.
“The PK didn’t help us. I think the foul on that PK was soft to be honest.”
Jensen was not a fan of the officiating overall. Several situations throughout the match probably warranted yellow cards.
The head official did hand out a red card to Heber Velasquez with a few seconds left in the match. That means Velasquez will miss Friday’s home match with Fort Madison.
Caleb Mattes was given a yellow card with less than 5 minutes to play in the match.
“Part of it is he didn’t know the rules,” Jensen said. “There were countless things he didn’t even know the rules on. He needs to go back to the rule book. There’s even things he admitted to not knowing. I think he was in La La Land for a good portion of the match.
“He’s not the reason we lost the game, but we need better officiating in this state. There’s too much inconsistency from one official to another.”
Hunter Teague made 13 saves for Newton in the loss. That gives him 103 saves for the season, which ranks seventh in 3A.
Colin Mandernach led DCG (11-4, 5-0) with one goal and two assists in the victory.
Notes: The start of the match was delayed for about an hour due to lightning. There also was heavy rain before and during the match. … Newton was tied with 4A No. 1 Johnston and 3A No. 4 DCG 1-1 at halftime before losing both matches 4-1. “They have a lot of depth and we don’t,” Jensen said. “I think we’re just getting tired in the second half. We should be fit, but playing 80 minutes of soccer is a lot of running.” … The Cardinals earned a first-round bye for the postseason and open substate play against rival Pella at 7 p.m. on May 20 in Newton. The Dutch defeated Newton in a shootout at H.A. Lynn Stadium earlier this season.
Comments / 0