Cardinal boys upset No. 5 DCG to clinch spot in state tournament

JOHNSTON — Eight days prior to the substate championship match, Newton’s boys soccer team was blitzed in the second half by the same team it was set to face on Wednesday.

Dallas Center-Grimes scored four second-half goals and hammered the Cardinals 5-0.

So Class 2A No. 16 Newton came into the Substate 7 title bout as the heavy underdog against the fifth-ranked Mustangs.

But after head coach Zach Jensen spent two straight nights watching DCG film, the coaching staff put together a game plan that flipped the script against the Mustangs.

And Christian Lawson’s Golden goal early in the second overtime period pushed Newton back to the state tournament. The Cardinals downed their Little Hawkeye Conference rivals 2-1 during a wet, cold and rainy night at Johnston High School.

“I didn’t sleep for two days straight. I watched five games of DCG’s throughout the season and took things from each game that I thought could help us,” Jensen said. “We didn’t stay with the game plan when we got tired, but at that point, it was heart and desire.

“I didn’t say much in overtime. It was just basically who wants it more. We defended well and wanted it more.”

The weather didn’t allow for either team to get a lot of quality shots on goal.

Derek Beiner put the Cardinals (13-6) in front early in the first half with his 15th goal of the season. The goal came off a Hunter Kennedy corner kick and was assisted by Cody Klein.

“We know we are not the most technical team so we have to outwork them,” Beiner said. “We threw a ton of people into the box, the ball came in, there was a scrum for the ball, Cody Klein tapped it to me and then I put it in.”

It’s been quite the spring for Beiner and Klein, who both were part of the track and field team’s recent third-place state finish.

Beiner admits this win felt the best simply because of the underdog mentality that came with it.

The Cardinal senior noted his squad had a much better mindset for the second meeting against DCG.

“Our mentality was much different tonight,” Beiner said. “We came into this game knowing it was championship weather. None of us cared that it was raining. We just wanted to go out there and get a win.”

The Cardinals have won three straight games since the 5-0 loss to DCG. They are back in the state tournament for the first time since 2018 and just the third time in nearly three decades.

“I have never felt this way before. I can’t wait to get there with the guys,” Newton senior keeper Caleb Lawson said.

Lawson and his senior teammates were eighth graders the last time Newton made it to state. The Cardinal keeper was absolutely huge for the squad against DCG (14-4).

He made a diving save with 29:48 to play in regulation. Another quality chance by the Mustangs was denied by Lawson with 18:45 to go.

In the first half, Lawson’s diving save in the first seven minutes kept the game scoreless. He also came up with another save when a DCG player got by the defense and put some pop on shot on goal.

“He was huge. He’s a gamer. He knows what to do in the right time and I am so proud of him,” Jensen said about Lawson.

Lawson finished with seven saves in the win. The biggest came with 10 seconds to play in overtime. He caught the Mustangs’ shot on goal and fell to the turf. That sent the game to a second overtime.

“He clutched up so many times,” Beiner said. “I saw that ball coming in, it was like slow motion. But then he saved it. It was amazing.”

The Cardinals didn’t waste too much time in the second overtime. Newton got a free kick on its offensive half of the field and Kennedy’s boot in front of the net was headed into the goal by Christian Lawson for the game-winner.

Christian Lawson now has a team-best 16 goals this spring and the assist for Kennedy was his 2A-high 30th.

“I honestly didn’t know if I was going to get it. But I just found a way to get it into the back of the net,” Christian Lawson said. “We have a play that is run for me off the corner kick. We just ran that play this time off the free ball.”

The Mustangs had a significant advantage in corner kicks in the second half, but it was the Cardinals who found the back of the net in a sudden death scenario. DCG’s tying goal came with 8:35 on the clock.

“You just have to have a short-term memory, trust the guys and trust the defense,” Caleb Lawson said. “The defense was amazing. They played together and as a team. We trusted each other and balled out.”

Newton took 21 shots and had nine shots on goal. The Cardinals improved to just 2-5 away from home this season.

They are 11-1 at home and the latest victory came in the 2A Substate 7 semifinals against North Polk.

Beiner got that one started with a goal, too. He put the Cardinals in front in the 16th minute. Bryar Annee, Christian Lawson and Hunter Kennedy also scored first-half goals.

The Cardinals led 4-1 at halftime and neither team scored in the second half. Christian Lawson, Beiner, Kennedy and Nate Lampe all registered assists.

Newton took 34 shots and placed 19 of them on goal. Caleb Lawson recorded four saves in the win.

“We started on time again. We put a couple away early,” Jensen said. “The game was ours to win and they had nothing to lose. We performed well and put our chances away when we needed to.”

Beiner is the first player to reach 40 points this spring. He now has 15 goals and 10 assists, while Lawson sits at 16 goals, five assists and 37 points. Kennedy’s 30 assists is tops in 2A and he has 38 points.

“I have looked to make an extra pass at times to be honest,” Kennedy said. “But it’s basically a position thing. I was a striker as a freshman. I was constantly up top. Now, with me in the midfield, I can control things more and get the balls over to Derek and over to Christian. Christian has been fantastic this year. He has so many set-piece goals for me.”

Newton’s coaching staff and players were not sucked in by North Polk’s 4-10 record coming into the game. The defense limited the Comets to just four shots on goal.

“The defense played much better than the previous game,” Schwenker said. “We cleared the balls better and we took better touches. We knew they were better than the record says.”