Cardinals claim victory in 2A regional opener

Within a minute and a half of kickoff, Newton High’s Cardinals set the tone for Thursday’s Class 2A Region 4 opening-round game at home against Chariton.

Senior Anna Forsyth had a hat trick-plus one in leading the 2A 15th-ranked Cardinals to a 6-1 win over the Chargers. Newton advances to the Region 4 semifinal match against Winterset at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Earlham.

Forsyth’s first goal came at the 38:27 mark of the first half then her teammates found her again two minutes later.

“The team is working really well together on our passing. We’re able to connect more with each other which allows us to build our attack,” Forsyth said after the game. “Even if we don’t get goals off the attack it wears the other team down.”

Forsyth scored with 27:23 left in the first half to put Newton up 3-0 and in total command of the contest. The Chargers did score on Newton to make it 3-1.

A long ball into the scoring zone by Chariton senior Natalie Baird sailed over the Newton defense and senior goalkeeper Addy Blom. The ball bounced behind Blom and went into the goal with 18:33 on the clock.

Newton responded, setting up Forsyth for a fourth goal with 12:45 left in the first half. Junior Rachel Rhoads buried one into the net with 49 seconds on the clock before halftime to push the Cardinals’ lead to 5-1.

“They came ready to play tonight,” Newton head coach Abby Lamont said. “This was a great opportunity for us to play everyone and work on our passing and possession of the ball. We want to work on our pace of the game and we will continue to do so in the next few days. Overall the coaches are very happy with their play tonight.”

The Cardinals continued their control of the game and possessing the ball throughout the second half. Blom had two saves as the Cardinals, for the most part, kept the ball on Chariton’s half of the field.

Newton’s final goal came at the 16:48 mark of the second half. Senior Carter Lee delivered the ball into the net past a very overworked Chariton goalkeeper, sophomore Taylor Pennington. The Cardinals put 32 shots on goal.

“We had a lot of the same girls on the team from last year but we were working a few new girls in positions and it took us awhile to really click as a team,” senior defender Lane Dethrow said about Newton’s 2-4 start to the season. “Once we figured out everybody’s role on the team it helped us seal the deal as a team.”

The Cardinals improved to 11-6 with the win as they claimed their sixth straight victory. They have outscored their opponents in those six games, 24-2.

“We are sharing the ball more, we’re passing to feet more and we’re not putting the ball up in the air. We have developed patience with the ball,” Dethrow said. “Marcelina, Allie and I played on the back line together last year so it helped knowing what to do on defense then with Tessa coming in it really solidified things for us.”

Dethrone, senior Marcelina Marvelli, sophomore Allie Norvell and senior Tessa Keeton are Newton’s starting defenders. They help Blom keep opponents from scoring. Newton had four straight shutouts in their six-game win streak.

On Thursday, junior Abbie Barr, Lee, Rhoads and junior Peyton Maher each had a goal assist. The Cardinals had six corner kicks.

“Our confidence is really high right now and girls are really building off that,” Forsyth said. “We’re not shying away from tackles and contact. We’re playing strong and aggressive right now, which is helping carry us through these games.”

Lamont said the Cardinals will continue to hone in their shooting from outside. She said Forsyth was on tonight with four goals and has been building her momentum as the seasons progressed. Rhoads had an outstanding goal as did Lee, she said.

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