RIVERSIDE

The season opener arrived for the Highland and Mid-Prairie soccer teams and despite frigid weather that would make a person want to curl up indoors with a blanket and hot cocoa these two teams battled each other and the elements to officially kick off their season. 

This game was a far cry from last year’s contest between these two teams, ending with a score of 9-1, but despite a more competitive game it was the Golden Hawks who once again emerged victorious over the home team Huskies, 2-1, on March 26.  

“I think for the first half we kind of held it together, but you could tell we got cold towards the second half,” Highland coach Dylan Stewart said about how the weather affected the game. “It’s part of soccer in Iowa, you have to deal with a little bit of unpredictable spring weather. It’s a learning curve, but I thought we played pretty well.”

Despite the cold weather, it was a hot start for the Huskies. Highland scored a goal within the first ten minutes of the game to take the lead, kicked in by Logan McFarland off an excellent pass from fellow junior teammate Jared Diaz.

“We’ve been working on it. I was excited to see the kids connect some passes,” coach Stewart said about Highland’s early goal. “We’ve really emphasized getting forward and being aggressive this year. It clearly paid off. Mid Prairie is a good school so it’s exciting to see we could get on the scoreboard.” 

Last year Highland’s first goal came in their ninth game of the season, coincidentally also against Mid-Prairie, but by scoring an opening day goal the Huskies are showing an encouraging sign for the games to come. 

Battling back, seven minutes later, the Golden Hawks found their answer. Mid-Prairie scored an equalizer to knot up the score at 1-1. 

Scoring the game tying goal was senior Daniel Rodgers. Set up by a pass from Tucker Miller, Rodgers managed to get by the goalie and executed a nice finish with his left foot to send the ball into the back of the net. 

“We got a nice look, Tucker found me on a nice drive there,” Rodgers said about his goal in the first half. “It was me one-on-one with the goalie, took a nice little touch with my right foot and managed to get it done with my left and thankfully the defender wasn’t able to kick it out.”

Mid-Prairie’s scoring ways did not stop there. Early in the second half the Hawks took the lead when senior Joe Hall, assisted by Peyton Fox, broke the tie with a goal. 

This ended up being the game winning goal as both team’s defenses held firm for the rest of the game. 

From giving up nine goals to Mid-Prairie a season ago to now only giving up two, Highland’s defense held its own in this match. 

“Phenomenal, I really think our defense is a strong suit,” coach Stewart said. “We definitely play with a bit of a toughness, little chip on our shoulder. The kids are really starting to understand the game and more importantly, they’re starting to believe in themselves. It’s just great to see them put that out in the field.”

Highland’s goalie, Ayden Havel, ended the game with 16 saves and Mid-Prairie’s goalkeeper, Jacob Flynn, had five saves. 

Williamsburg 2, Mid-Prairie 0

In their first home game of the season, the Golden Hawks were shut out and defeated by the Williamsburg Raiders on March 28. 

With this win Williamsburg improved its record to 2-0 while Mid-Prairie was handed their first loss of the year to drop its record to 1-1. This is also Williamsburg’s third straight win over Mid-Prairie. 

The Raiders took control of this matchup by scoring both of their goals in the first half, forcing the Hawks to play from behind the entire second half. Both teams went scoreless in the second half leading to Williamsburg victory. 

Junior Jacob Flynn, the Mid-Prairie goalkeeper, tallied six saves in this contest. 

Mid-Prairie ended the game with three shots on goal, two by senior Tucker Miller and one by fellow senior Joe Hall. 

West Liberty 1, Mid-Prairie 0

In wet and windy conditions, the Golden Hawks went on the road to battle the Comets, a conference opponent, but it was the home team who came away from this rainy game with the win on April 1. 

This victory improved West Liberty’s record to 2-1 in the regular season and 1-0 in conference play. With this loss Mid-Prairie’s sees its record drop to 1-2 and 0-1 in conference play. 

Up next for Mid-Prairie is a home contest against the Columbus Wildcats (0-1) on April 4. The Golden Hawks have won their last four games against the Wildcats.