Ramsey scores twice in Cardinals’ shutout over Oskaloosa

The Newton boys soccer team registered quite a few firsts during its Little Hawkeye Conference contest against Oskaloosa on Tuesday.

For the first time this season, the Cardinals scored at least three goals in a single game, posted its first shutout of the spring and won a match that didn’t end 2-1.

Newton also snapped a four-game skid during its 3-0 home win over the Indians at H.A. Lynn Stadium. It also was the Cardinals’ first conference triumph in 2025.

“We needed to score goals, and we wanted our first shutout,” Newton head boys soccer coach Zach Jensen said. “Those were the two goals we set before the game, and we got them both.

“We really needed a win in the conference. We were sitting at the bottom of the barrel at 0-4 so we really needed to get one.”

The Cardinals came into the match having been shut out six times in their 13 matches. And the contest against Oskaloosa was scoreless at halftime.

Newton dominated action in both halves. The hosts broke the scoreboard 51 seconds into the second half as Troy Ramsey scored his third goal of the season on a header.

Ramsey converted the shot attempt after receiving a pass off the head of Aiden Robson.

The fourth goal of the year from Ramsey came a little more than seven minutes later as he cleaned up after a shot attempt that was initially saved by an Indians defender.

“I was in the right spot at the right time on the first one,” Ramsey said. “Aiden sent a great header to me, and I was able to get the ball past the keeper. The second one, I just followed up on a previous shot and got my foot on it.”

The Cardinals had a 31-8 advantage in shots and a 20-4 surplus in shots on goal.

Jensen said the Cardinals’ offensive players spent a significant amount of time in practice on Monday working on ways to attack opposing defenses better.

Oskaloosa’s goalie made several saves in the first half to keep the match scoreless and then stopped a few more shots in the second 40 minutes to keep the Indians within striking distance.

It took an adjustment to their approach for the Cardinals to get on the scoreboard.

Newton (4-8-2, 1-4 in the LHC) scored only one goal during its recent four-game slide and went 100 straight minutes without a goal.

“We worked hard yesterday at practice on creative movement off the ball, creative runs and playing those balls into spaces,” Jensen said. “We were playing too direct in the first half. He’s an aggressive keeper so we needed more angles and to play more balls in the corners.

“The second half was a lot better, and we attacked the ball better in the box. I told them at halftime we needed to sacrifice our bodies more, and we got guys on the ends of those and they sacrificed their bodies to do it.”

Ramsey thought the early goal in the second half was huge for momentum. He also was tired of getting shut out on their end of the pitch.

The defense, which includes Kent Montgomery, posted its first shutout of the season. That unit also worked on a drill in Monday’s practice that limited the Indians at their offensive side of the field.

Montgomery played several balls in the air off his head during the 80-minute match. The drill in practice focused on finding the ball so it didn’t go over their heads.

“We’ve had that happen a lot lately,” Montgomery said. “My head does hurt. Those balls in practice were super high in the air.

“I think we’ve finally found our right formation. It’s working for us, and we’re figuring out how to work the ball. We started this game better, and we’re getting better with each game.”

Javin Doland needed to make only four saves for the Cardinals to preserve their shutout.

He’s up to 167 saves this spring, which ranks fifth in the state. Doland’s 81.5 save percentage also leads the state.

Oskaloosa (3-10, 0-5) was shut out for a fifth time this season. The Indians were kept off the scoreboard for a third straight contest and are 1-5 in their last six matches.

Newton went up 3-0 following a Robson penalty kick goal in the 57th minute. He was fouled in the box to set up the attempt.

Notes: Newton improved to 13-1 against Oskaloosa since 2011. The Cardinals have posted eight shutouts during that stretch, including three in a row. They have outscored the Indians 17-0 in those three matches. “I think our attacking pieces clicked tonight, and I think it will continue to get better,” Jensen said. “The guys were on the same page. We hate letting balls bounce, too, and I thought we attacked balls in the air much better in this one.” … The head official handed out three yellow cards in the second half. Newton’s Micah Mattes got the first one, but Oskaloosa’s Kale Van Wyk and Edwin Calan Tome were issued the final two. “It was a physical game,” Jensen said. “There were a few yellows because of the physicality and that’s fine. That’s how soccer should be played. You want to be physical at all times.”