Linn-Mar Boys Soccer

Enzugusi's OT goal sends Lions to state

It was one of those soccer matches where you were worried if you were a Linn-Mar supporter.

The No. 4 Lions dominated much of the action in Saturday's Class 3A substate final with No. 9 Bettendorf at Linn-Mar Stadium. Linn-Mar had several chances to score in regulation, but found itself heading to overtime in a scoreless tie with the Bulldogs.

"It crept into my head a little bit," admitted Lions Coach Corey Brinkmeyer. "I certainly had faith in the guys and they've proven me right much of the time."

That faith was rewarded early in the first 10-minute overtime when freshman Leroy Enzugusi took a feed from Bobby Charlton at the top of the penalty box and put the ball past Bettendorf keeper Michael Lintz 3:28 into extra time, giving the Lions a 1-0 victory and the school's first state tournament appearance since 2008.

Linn-Mar (17-3) is seeded fifth at state and will play in the state quarterfinals Thursday at the Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines against No. 4 seed Iowa City High at 5:10 p.m. The Little Hawks beat the Lions, 1-0, in a regular-season game two weeks ago. Bettendorf finishes at 14-5.

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Enzugusi's goal lifts No. 4 Lions

The Linn-Mar Lions battled a few nagging injuries, a zillion nagging gnats and the Dubuque Hempstead Mustangs in the semifinals of the Class 3Asubstate soccer tournament at Linn-Mar Stadium Thursday evening.

The fourth-ranked Lions survived it all, 1-0.

Leroy Enzugusi got a perfect feed from Ben Johnson and scored the only goal with 33 minutes, 27 seconds left in the game.

Linn-Mar will host No. 9 Bettendorf in the substate finals Saturday at noon, with the winner advancing to the state tournament.

Daniel Luzindya and Enzugusi, two of Linn-Mar's top weapons, were never on the field at the same time Thursday as Coach Corey Brinkmeyer tried to nurse them through the game without compounding minor ailments.

The strategy worked as the Lions survived and advanced to the next round despite not being at full strength.

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Johnston, Waverly top boys soccer polls

Everybody will be chasing Johnston and Waverly-Shell Rock in the boys postseason soccer tournaments.

Johnston is the unanimous No. 1 pick in Class 3A and Waverly-Shell Rock was voted No. 1 in Class 2A in the final poll of the season by the Iowa High School Soccer Coaches Association.

Five Metro teams are ranked again this week.

Linn-Mar is No. 4 in Class 3A, Washington No. 5 and Kennedy No. 6. Xavier is ranked No. 4 in Class 2A and Marion No. 14.

CLASS 3A

1. Johnston (17-0), 2. Iowa City High (13-2), 3. Iowa City West (16-1), 4. Linn-Mar (15-3), 5. Washington (12-4), 6. Kennedy (13-4), 7. Pleasant Valley (13-2), 8. Waukee (13-4), 9. Bettendorf (13-4), 10. West Des Moines Valley (16-4), 11. Ankeny Centennial (14-3), 12. Sioux City West (16-1), 13. Ames (11-4), 14. Southeast Polk (13-5-1), 15. Muscatine (12-5), 16. Dubuque Hempstead (10-5).

CLASS 2A

1. Waverly-Shell Rock (13-1), 2. Norwalk (10-6), 3. Spencer (17-1), 4. Xavier (7-9), 5. Glenwood (14-3), 6. Pella (13-5-1), 7. Perry (12-3), 8. Dallas Center-Grimes (9-5), 9. ADM (12-5-1), 10. DeWitt Central (12-3), 11. Clear Creek Amana (10-4-2), 12. Heelan (10-3), 13. Webster City (14-4), 14. Marion (10-3), 15. Creston (11-4), 16. Davenport Assumption (8-9).

No.2 Lions raise record to 15-0

The Linn-Mar girls soccer team defeated Jefferson, 3-0, in a rain-delayed Mississippi Valley Conference game at Linn-Mar Stadium Tuesday night.

The second-ranked Lions raised their overall record to 15-0 with their 14th shutout of the season. Linn-Mar claimed the Metro title with the victory.

Allie Noggle, Olivia Garcia and Claire Larson scored goals for the Lions. Larson, Malory Garman and Amanda Heiderscheit collected assists.

Linn-Mar visits top-ranked Bettendorf Thursday.