31 MAR 25
Grimes IA
The Lady Dragon’s were looking to get off on the right foot following finishing the 2024 campaign with a 9-7-1 record and 0-2 in CIML conference play and losing 1-0 to the Waukee Warriors in the Class 3A-Region 3 Championship.
The Lady Dragon’s saw a few coaching changes in the off-season. Mike Furrow was promoted to Varsity Assistant; Nate Tiry-Ortiz takes over JV1 and was previously a Valley Girls Soccer Assistant; and finally, Dominic Ford, a former Dragon player who played college soccer at Wartburg and a former player under Girls Varsity Head Coach Shafer on the boys side, will coach JV2.
Junior Lydia Luo scored the lone goal for the Lady Dragons, which they would lead 1-0 at halftime. A back-and-forth second half saw continued pressure by the Mustangs, resulting in multiple corner kicks. The Mustang would finally break through with roughly 17:00 minutes left in the second half, resulting in a 1-1 draw for the Lady Dragon’s in the opening game of the 2025 season. The Lady Dragon’s are back in action this Friday as they head to Cedar Rapids to face the Cougars with a 6:00 scheduled kickoff.
The back-to-back class 4A champs had their eyes on the first steps to a potential three-peat. Johnston Boys Soccer had established a name for themselves as winning back-two-back state titles isn’t an easy task. Losing defender Isaiah LaMark, a key figure on last year’s team, means someone has to step up. LaMark transferred back to Des Moines Roosevelt.
Senior Nick Gourley in his first game back from injury scored the first goal of the season for the Dragon’s to make it 1-0.
The Mustangs would answer right back to tie it at one apiece. Johnston sophomore Braylon Thuelen, in his first career high school game, made it 2-1 for the Drags, and that score would hold going into halftime. Senior Lal Mawia opened the scoring in the second half to give the Dragon’s insurance. The Mustangs would cut the lead down to just one, but the Dragons would hold on to open their 2025 season with a road win. Junior Mason McKnight & Markos Pintor and senior Kadin Nguyen all grabbed assists in the win while sophomore goalkeeper Ricky Solis Downing made 4 saves on 6 shots faced. Ames is the next stop for the back-to-back class 4A champions, with a 7:30 scheduled kickoff.
