Newton girls soccer stays unbeaten, shuts out Grinnell

GRINNELL — Newton’s girls soccer team faced a Grinnell squad on Tuesday which came into the match 2-0 and was outscoring its opponents 18-0.

None of that mattered though when the Cardinals drove 15 miles east to face the Tigers in the Little Hawkeye Conference opener.

Newton scored twice in the first half and that’s all it needed to stay undefeated and send the Tigers’ streak crashing down.

Audrey Rausch scored her seventh goal of the season and Riley Plowman put in her second tally of the year as the Cardinals downed Grinnell 2-0 on the road.

“We possessed the ball well and controlled the pace of play,” Newton girls soccer coach Abby Lamont said.

Lamont and her coaching staff have made subtle lineup changes each time out.

The change on Tuesday was moving Rori Nehring to defense and Natalee Freese to goalie. The Cardinals recorded another shutout, but Freese left the game early with an injury. That moved Nehring back to keeper.

The Cardinals already moved a player from defense to offense and another from defense to defensive midfielder in the first two matches. Every move is working for Newton, which improved to 3-0 and is outscoring opponents 11-1 so far this season.

“This team has versatility and speed and they are coachable,” Lamont said. “That’s a good combo.”

Newton (1-0 in the LHC) is 7-1 in its last eight matches against Grinnell (2-1, 1-1). The Cardinals outscored the Tigers 13-1 in the three most recent wins.

Rausch’s seven goals this spring currently ranks tied for fifth in Class 2A and her 15 points is sixth.