No. 11 Cards tame 15th-ranked Bloodhounds

FORT MADISON — A fast start lifted the Newton boys’ soccer team to a road win over Fort Madison on Saturday.

The Class 3A No. 11 Cardinals held a three-goal lead after 12 minutes and they never looked back during a 5-2 victory over the 15th-ranked Bloodhounds.

“It was good to win in our last game before the postseason starts,” Newton head boys soccer coach Zach Jensen said. “It wasn’t a traditional start time and historically it hasn’t been a good time slot for us. Give credit to the guys for setting the tone early.”

The Cardinals led 4-2 at halftime. And all six goals came in the first 18 minutes of the match.

Bryan Hernandez scored his second goal of the season in the 3rd minute and Caleb Mattes made it 2-0 five minutes later. In the 12th minute, Christian Lawson pushed the margin to 3-0.

Fort Madison (14-3) cut its deficit to 3-2 with back-to-back goals in the 12th minute and 17th minute.

“I was pretty upset about their two goals,” Jensen said. “It was communication stuff again. But that’s fixable.”

Lawson answered the Fort Madison goals with his 13th of the season. He finished the match with two goals and two assists. Lawson now has a team-best 13 goals, 11 assists and a team-high 37 points this spring.

Mattes tallied his ninth goal of the season when he scored for a second time in the 48th minute.

There were no goals scored in the final 32 minutes of the contest.

Nate Lampe and Heber Velasquez each added assists in the win. It was the 16th assist this season for Lampe, which ranks tied for third in 3A.

Hunter Teague played 75 of the 80 minutes in goal and had seven saves. He now has 130 saves this spring, which ranks fifth in 3A. Javin Doland was the goalie for the final five minutes.

The Cardinals won the match despite not having starters Cody Klein and Jacob Sweeney because of injuries.

Newton improved to 10-6 despite playing the 28th toughest schedule in Iowa out of 200 teams. It was the toughest schedule in Jensen’s seven years as head coach.

The Cardinals also posted double-digit wins for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons.

“It shows the progression and the consistency of the program,” Jensen said. “You don’t get to double-digit wins without being one of the best teams in the state.”

Xander Wellman had one goal and one assist for the Bloodhounds. His 27 goals rank third in 3A, while his 16 assists and 70 points are tied for third and tied for second, respectively.

Jacob Pothitakis delivered two assists for the hosts. He now has 14 assists this spring.

Newton opens 3A postseason play as the No. 2 seed in Substate 2. The Cardinals received a first-round bye and open their playoffs against third-seeded Mason City (3-12) at 7 p.m. on May 22 at H.A. Lynn Stadium.