Mustangs push past Cardinals

Trailing 1-0 at half-time, the game plan for Newton High’s Cardinal boys in the second half was be the aggressive team on the field.

“We played very well in the first half. They scored on their only chance when we didn’t mark up on a set piece play and they headed it in,” Newton boys’ soccer head coach Zach Jensen said. “We talked about coming out guns a blazing and attack. We wanted to be the aggressor.”

The plan did not come to fruition for the Class 2A 12th-ranked Cardinals. The 13th-ranked Dallas Center-Grimes marked up two more goals in the second half to win 3-1 in the Little Hawkeye Conference contest.

The Mustangs found their pace out of the break, scoring a goal in the first five minutes to go up 2-0. Newton averted the shutout when Tyler Stanton turned a throw-in pass from Josh Ventling into a goal with 21 minutes left to play.

Two minutes later the Mustangs found the net for the third time. Newton’s goal keeper Reagan Maple had five saves in the game.

“DCG dictated things in the second half. They were the more aggressive and passionate team on the field tonight,” Jensen said. “We need to play with more intensity and passion. We need all 11 players playing that way not just two or three.”

Newton dropped to 3-2 overall and DCG is 2-3. Both teams have a 1-1 LHC record.

The Cardinals are back on their home field in a non-conference game against Boone at 7 p.m. Friday at H.A. Lynn Stadium. They are host NASA night as all NASA players who wear their NASA jersey to the NHS game will get in free if accompanied by a parent.

Newton’s junior varsity lost 1-0 to Dallas Center-Grimes. DCG took the freshman game, 2-1, with William Cheng scoring the Newton goal.

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