AMES — Gilbert was unable to withstand a quick North Scott scoring spurt in a 3-0 loss to the Lancers in the Class 2A quarterfinals of the Iowa girls state soccer tournament on Monday, June 8.
North Scott struck twice within two minutes late in the first half and Gilbert never recovered to suffer its only loss of the season.
“When you get down in a hole, it’s hard to dig out,” said Gilbert co-head coach Heather Currans. “They definitely have the talent to do that; it just wasn’t going to happen for us tonight.”
The first goal came after Gilbert was whistled for a foul in the box. Leading Lancer scorer Reese Barnett converted from the penalty spot to start the scoring with eight minutes left in the first half.
North Scott struck again when Camryn Jones pushed one past Gilbert keeper Annika Yoder-Stoulil with 6:37 remaining in the first half.
The Lancers tacked on another score in the second half when McKenzie Moeller drilled a 15-yard shot from just inside the 18 to the left corner of the net at the 55:48 mark of the game.
Gilbert’s best shot at a goal came in the first half on a run by midfielder Allie Grandgenett.
Sammy Johnson got off a corner kick for Gilbert and after Greta Platts got a foot on it, the ball headed toward the far post.
Grandgenett raced toward the ball on the right side of the goal. She tapped the ball with her foot, and it nearly got into the net before Lancer keeper Nora Barnett came up and corraled the ball just before it went past the line.
“Greta had a shot and it came straight down,” Grandgenett said. “I kicked it and the goalie made a pretty good save. It just went into her hands and she didn’t break. I was a little disappointed there.”
Johnson got off a couple more good corners during the game, but Gilbert could never solve North Scott’s tough defense. But Gilbert never slowed down despite the hot and sunny conditions.
The Tigers constantly hustled and kept their heads in the game to keep it from getting out of hand.
“We knew going in this was going to be a tough team,” Grandgenett said. “I feel like we did our best and we worked our hardest. We tried to keep up our team morale once they scored on us and I think we did a good job of that.”
North Scott will take a 16-1-3 record into the state semifinals against No. 1 Norwalk (17-1-2), a 6-0 winner over Lewis Central in the first 2A quarterfinal on June 8.
Gilbert ends its season at 14-1-2. The Tigers made their first trip to state since placing second in 1A during the 2023 season.
“This team is super close,” Grandgenett said. “We all love each other like family. We’re just happy we made it to state.”
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Late first-half run by North Scott dooms Gilbert at girls state soccer
Reporting by Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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By Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune | USA TODAY Network
