WINTERSET — Playing catch-up in the second half against the 11th-ranked Winterset Huskies, Newton High’s Cardinals mustered up the fight to tie the Class 2A Substate 6 semifinal soccer game and force overtime. The Cardinals scored two goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation to forge a 3-3 deadlock.
Two nights after limping off the Cardinals’ home field late in the substate opener senior Duncan Lee scored the equalizer at the 7:31 mark.
Junior Josh Ventling served up a long ball into the scoring zone and Lee kicked the ball into the net. It was Ventling’s third goal assist of the night.
Lee injured his foot Monday in the substate win at home then played 10 innings as the Newton High varsity baseball catcher Tuesday night. He was back on the soccer pitch to help the Cardinals pull off the upset of host Winterset Wednesday.
Chase Dykstra beat two Husky defenders to begin the overtime period, according to Newton head coach Sackda Viravong. Dykstra passed the ball to senior Nick Rusk, who collided with the Husky goalkeeper on a 50/50 ball.
“Duncan was there to win the ball and tap in the game winning goal for us,” Viravong said of the 4-3 overtime win. “We worked hard and stayed calm throughout the match. We didn’t quit when we were down 3-1.”
Rusk put the Cardinals up 1-0 with 32:24 left in the first half off a pass from Ventling. Winterset tied it up at the 12:46 mark and the teams were knotted at 1-all at halftime. The Huskies pushed out to a 3-1 lead in the first 16 minutes of the second half.
“We couldn’t move the ball, and nothing was going right for us in the second half,” Viravong said. “We couldn’t buy a shot on goal, so I decided to play all the seniors. The last one to enter was Grayson Bookbinder, and on his only shot on goal this season, he scored on a 25-yard kick off a back pass by Ventling.”
Viravong said Bookbinder’s goal was the turning point for Newton in the game. He said the momentum shifted in the Cardinals’ favor, giving the Newton played a second wind.
Then came Lee’s tying goal and his overtime winner. Newton senior goalkeeper Griffin Engel had eight saves in the game. Newton had 14 shots on goal, two corner kicks and six direct kicks.
“We displayed a lot of courage, discipline and a strong will to overcome adversity,” Viravong said. “We represented ourselves very well on the field. It was a well-deserved victory for our players, and now, on with the substate final.”
The substate final Saturday will be a rematch for the Cardinals. No. 10 Adel-DeSoto-Minburn got past No. 5 Dallas Center-Grimes, 2-1 in overtime Wednesday.
Newton and ADM battled in a regular-season game with ADM winning 1-0. The 2A Substate 6 title game will be at noon in Adel. The final was originally slated for Winterset but with the results of the semifinal games it was moved.
Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
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