Cards’ LHC title hopes take hit after loss to Norwalk

Zach Jensen has yet to coach the Newton boys’ soccer team to a conference championship. It doesn’t help that the Little Hawkeye Conference is one of the hardest leagues in the state to win.

The Class 3A No. 7 Cardinals put themselves in a great spot after starting the conference slate 3-0, but their title hopes took a hit on Saturday after 3A No. 8 Norwalk handed its visitors a 4-1 loss at Warrior Stadium.

“We have to win out now I think,” Jensen said. “It’s not over, but we need help from some other teams. This conference has always been won with one or zero losses. I’m not sure the last time a team won the league with two losses.”

Jensen liked the way his squad played in the first half, but three goals by the Warriors in the final 40 minutes were too much to overcome.

Christian Lawson scored Newton’s goal in the final few seconds of the match, but it was too little too late.

“Give credit to them. They are a good team, they are well organized and they play pretty soccer,” Jensen said about Norwalk. “I thought we played a good first half. I was pleased for the most part being down 1-0. We had a few opportunities that I thought might allow us to level back, but we didn’t. I liked our patience.

“Anytime we’d win the ball and get it back, we’d turn it over. We struggled offensively today.”

Norwalk is now 11-2 against Newton since 2011 and the Warriors (4-4 overall, 3-0 in the conference) have won four straight in the series. The Cardinals’ five-match winning streak also was snapped.

Newton (7-3, 3-1) took just six shots and put three on goal.

Norwalk doubled up the Cardinals in shots with 12 and Tavin Ferner registered a hat trick in the win. Noah Buhrow dished out two assists.

Newton’s goal from Lawson was assisted by Nate Lampe. It was Lawson’s team-best eighth goal this spring and Lampe now has a team-high 12 assists, which rank 12th and second in 3A, respectively.

Hunter Teague finished with 11 saves and now has 73 stops this spring, which ranks fifth in 3A.

“We were too nice and a little soft,” Jensen said. “I want us to be more of the aggressor and play mean. I don’t want us to play dirty, but I want us to do the dirty work. We were shying away from tackles and getting stuck in.”