October 07, 2024

Newton boys soccer shuts out No. 11 Fort Madison on Senior Day

Cardinals register 3-0 win over state-ranked Bloodhounds

Fort Madison came into its road contest against Newton having won nine of its last 10 matches. And the Class 2A No. 11 Bloodhounds have scored at least five goals in seven of their 11 wins.

But against the Cardinals, the visiting Hounds were shut out for the fourth time and limited to just five shots on goal.

Newton got a first-half goal from Derek Beiner and the hosts never trailed during a 3-0 home triumph at H.A. Lynn Stadium.

“We came ready to play,” Newton boys head soccer coach Zach Jensen said. “Almost a complete game. I was pretty happy with how we played.”

Fort Madison (11-5) has been shut out four times in its five losses.

Newton’s defense held up just fine against one of the top scorers in 2A, too. Mitchell Pothitakis came into the day with 20 goals and 19 assists but was held scoreless by the Cardinals on their Senior Day.

Beiner’s first-half goal came in the 23rd minute. Christian Lawson sent a through ball down the field and Beiner ran it down, made one move to get by a Bloodhound defender and shot the ball to the far post past Fort Madison goalie Reiburn Turnbull.

It was Beiner’s team-leading 12th goal of the season and he now has a team-best 32 points.

In the second half, Bryar Annee scored his 10th of the spring in the 45th minute. That one was set up by Hunter Kennedy, who now has a 2A-best 23 assists.

Caleb Mattes’ fourth goal and Ryan Nook’s first assist made it 3-0 with 14:44 to play

“It’s always good to knock off a ranked team,” Jensen said. “It got chippy at the end, but we kept our composure. We let that stuff bother us last year but let it go today and just played our game.”

Newton (10-5) took 27 shots and 16 shots on goal.

Caleb Lawson had five saves in his 80 minutes in goal. He preserved a 1-0 lead late in the first half when he made a diving stop on one of Fort Madison’s best chances to score in the first 40 minutes.

The Cardinals have reached double-digits in wins for the fourth time in the past five seasons.

Newton ends its regular season against 2A No. 2 Dallas Center-Grimes at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday in Johnston. The game will be played at the old Johnston High School field because its field is under construction.