Lady Dutch edge Cardinals in OT

Two ranked Class 2A girls’ soccer teams and Little Hawkeye Conference rivals played on a frigid Monday evening at Newton’s H.A. Lynn Stadium.

Newton High’s 10th-ranked Cardinals hosted the second-ranked Pella Lady Dutch on the first night of May which felt more like a raw February evening.

The Cardinals and Lady Dutch played the full 80 minutes of regulation to a scoreless tie. The teams went to overtime.

Newton senior goalkeeper Ashlee Freese had been a wall throughout the game. Pella out-shot Newton at least 2-to-1 and Freese had 14 saves.

With 7:31 remaining in the first 10-minute overtime, Pella’s Grace Held delivered the golden goal to give the Lady Dutch a 1-0 win.

It was the first loss of the season for the Cardinals. They are 7-1 and went to 3-1 in LHC play. Pella is 11-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play.

“Our team played an outstanding game tonight,” Newton head coach Abby Lamont said. “Coach (Mallory) Sturtz and I couldn’t be more proud of the girls.”

Lamont said the Cardinal defense played by far its best game of the season. She said the Newton offensive players fought hard to get the scoring opportunities it did. Newton had six shots on goal.

“Pella is a very good team, and each time we face them we know it will be a battle. This time was no different,” Lamont said. “Our girls proved they were ready for the challenge. We look forward to hopefully playing them again this season.”

Newton plays a 5:30 p.m. varsity game Friday at North Polk followed by the junior varsity game at 7 p.m.

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