On to State for GHV soccer team

(Above) GHV’s Ryan Meyers battles Clear Lake’s Ryhs Glidden for possession of the ball during Monday night’s Regional game.  GHV defeated the Lions, 6-2.  -Reporeter photo by Chris Barragy

It’s a dream come true for the Garner-Hayfield-Ventura boys soccer team, as all their hard work is going to be rewarded with a trip to the State Soccer Tournament.  The trip will be the first in school history for the team.

GHV 4, Nevada 1

After defeating Clear Lake on Monday, the Cardinals faced Nevada on Wednesday, May 24, to move one game closer to a State berth.  The Cardinal defense was a highlight of the night, as it held a strong Nevada team to just one goal.  GHV won the match, 4-1.

The game opened slow and it took the Cardinals awhile to look comfortable.  Once the first goal was scored, the confidence took over and the Cards went into halftime with a 2-0 lead.  With 25 minutes remaining, GHV scored its third goal. The Cardinals dropped their guard and 30 seconds later Nevada scored its first goal, 3-1.  With 15 minutes remaining in the match, the Cardinals scored the final goal of the night and sealed the victory, 4-1.

“Although we scored four goals, I would say it was our defense that was a highlight for me. They shut down a very good team that is well organized and controls the ball,” said Coach Eric Williams.

Goalie Nick Joynt had 12 saves in the match.

Ryan Meyers led the team with two goals, two shots on goal and one assist.

Connor Burke had one goal and three shots on goal.

Jonah Albertson also scored a goal and had two shots on goal.

The win was the fourth in a row for the Cardinals who have a record of 9-6.

GHV 3, Gladbrook-Reinbeck 1

A fast start and good defense by the Cardinals took Gladbrook-Reinbeck by surprise in a game that determined who would be moving on to the State Soccer Tournament.

“We started extremely fast and with a couple of shots on goal in the first minutes of play, GR was really shocked,” said Coach Eric Williams. “They didn’t know a lot about us, and didn’t know what to expect.”

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GHV took advantage of a surprise attack and Colton Schroeder scored at the 2:47 mark to give the Cardinals an early lead.  The goal shook GR up and for the next 30 minutes they came out firing and shooting the ball, not even coming close to scoring.  With 15 minutes remaining in the first half of play, Gladbrook-Reinbeck found the back of the net to tie the score at halftime.

“During halftime we talked a lot about effort and positioning,” said Williams.  “We also made a couple small adjustments to combat their heavy offensive minded team.  I think because they were so offensively minded we were able to really put a lot of pressure on the goalie with shots of our own.”

To open the second half, Connor Burke and Jonah Alberton scored in the first 20 minutes of play.  From there, the Cardinals just had to finish strong and make sure they completed the match to gain the win and a trip to State.

“I think we played well as a team.  We may have guys with lots of stats, but it takes a complete team to win, not just one or two guys,” said Williams.

Williams also praised the play of his defense, Dane Whipple, Connor Shaw, Jace Pringnitz, Brandon Feuring, Brady Hess and Alex Mary, as being a huge part of the team’s victories.

Nick Joynt had 11 saves at the goalie position.

Jared Graham and Ryan Meyers each had an assist.

The Cardinals face Assumption-Davenport in the State Quaterfinal game on Thursday, June 1, at 12:05 p.m. at Cownie Soccer Park, Des Moines.

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