Cardinal historic season ends at state

DES MOINES — History was made Thursday even in a loss.

Newton High’s Cardinal girls played in the program’s first-ever state soccer tournament. Junior Taylor Shipley scored a goal in a state soccer tournament for Newton, giving the Cardinal a 1-0 lead on No. 1 ranked Pella.

“We’re so happy with our season, and how far we’ve gone, which was further than any other team in school history,” Newton head coach Abby Lamont said following the 4-1 loss to Pella Thursday. “These girls have nothing to be disappointed about.”

Playing in the 2016 Iowa Class 2A Girls’ Soccer State Tournament quarterfinals, the Cardinals were dictating the pace of the game against the Lady Dutch. Newton was aggressive and on the attack throughout the first 20 minutes of the contest.

The Lady Dutch came out of an official water break with 20 minutes left in the first half with a stronger effort against the Cardinals. Pella’s Katie Vander Molen scored from long range and from short range in the final two minutes of the half.

“What a great start we had,” Lamont said. “Our girls were aggressive and took the game right to Pella. We got tired, and the heat had a part in that. They found the back of the net twice really fast at the end of the first half. We came out had played tough the second half, but just couldn’t get a shot to go in.”

Pella added to its 2-1 lead with 8:20 remaining in the second half on a goal by Grace Held.

Two Pella players were given yellow cards by officials down the stretch of the contest. Vander Molen struck again with one second on the game clock for a final margin.

Lamont said the only disappointment she had in the state quarterfinal was Pella taking a shot with six seconds remaining in the game, up 3-1.

“I would have hoped they could have held themselves to a higher standard than that, but I’m not the coach of their team,” Lamont said. “Our girls competed hard and with great sportsmanship today. This was a great game for us. We just didn’t win it.”

Newton’s 14-5 record for the 2016 season is the best in recent memory for the Cardinal program. It was the first time in two and a half years — four games — Newton had scored a goal against their Little Hawkeye Conference foes — the Lady Dutch.

Six seniors competed in their final game for Newton at the 2016 state tournament. In the last four years — the past two under Lamont — the Cardinals have gone 53-17.

Newton’s seniors are Kari Adams, Allison Ergenbright, Alex Hutchinson, Victoria Jordan, Taylor Moon and Hannah Rhoads.

“Our senior leadership this season was outstanding. I have all the faith in the world these young ladies will do great things in life,” Lamont said. “We’ll miss them next year. They’ve set a high standard for our young girls to strive toward.”

Lamont said the Cardinals return a strong core of players and have younger players ready to step up to the challenge of varsity play.

Newton returns the Class 2A state leader in scoring the past two seasons in junior forward Ryanne Rausch. Rausch was held in check by Pella Thursday, but she led 2A with 38 goals. The closest player in scoring still playing in the state tournament is Lewis Central senior Allie Dmyterko, who had 24 goals going into Thursday’s opening round and scored twice in a 5-0 win over Winterset.

Rausch went down hard in the first half near the 25-minute mark and came out of the game for a breather. Off a corner kick, Shipley was able to score her fifth goal of the season to give Newton a 1-0 lead.

Vander Molen took advantage of a strong wind on a hot afternoon at Cownie Soccer Park on her first goal for Pella. Vander Molen powered a 25-yard kick past Newton junior goalkeeper Ashlee Freese for the equalizer.

Vander Molen took a pass from Jenny Wieser for a short-range goal a couple of minutes later. Freese fought off the Lady Dutch’s shots on goal throughout the second half until Grace Held scored on a breakaway with 8:20 left. Vander Molen shot at the end settled in the net as the final horn sounded.

Pella plays Sioux City Bishop Heelan in a 2:45 p.m. semifinal game Friday. Bishop Heelan edged ADM 1-0 in Thursday’s opening round. Waverly-Shell Rock knocked out North Scott, 2-0, and plays at 2:30 p.m. Friday in the other semifinal against Lewis Central.

The 2A state championship game is at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Newton’s Cardinals walked off Cownie Park Field No. 9 with their heads high and their 2A state participation trophy.

“We’re sad to say goodbye to our seniors. We’re excited for the future of our program,” Lamont said.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com