Newton girls shut out Ballard in regional opener

Sophia Coady scored two goals, Aliviah Ross added one goal and one assist and the Newton girls soccer team won a first-round playoff match for the fourth straight season on Friday.

The Cardinals jumped out to an early lead against Ballard in a Class 2A Region 3 quarterfinal contest and downed the Bombers 3-0 at H.A. Lynn Stadium.

Newton led 3-0 at halftime and it held up for the final 40 minutes. The Cardinals won their third straight against Ballard and are now 9-3 in the series since 2012.

The victory sends Newton to the regional semifinals where it faces rival Pella at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Pella. The Dutch (5-8-2) are ranked 13th in 2A.

Newton had a 21-8 advantage in shots and a 15-6 surplus in shots on goal. The Cardinals (9-5-3) registered their sixth shutout of the season.

Coady’s two goals push her season total to 20, which is tied for 11th in 2A. Ross now has 14 goals and Kaylee Guthrie added one assist against the Bombers.

Addy Cibula led the Cardinals, who have posted at least nine wins for 13 of the past 14 seasons, with six saves. She now has 131 saves for the season.

Ballard got 10 saves from Evelyn Faubus. The Bombers (3-11-3) were shut out for the seventh time this spring.