Bowe’s hat trick pushes Center Point-Urbana over Vinton-Shellsburg

CENTER POINT — As Bowe goes, so go the Stormin’ Pointers.

Senior Emily Bowe’s hat trick powered Center Point-Urbana past Wamac foe Vinton-Shellsburg (7-4-1), 5-1, in Tuesday at Fross Park.

“She’s the Energizer Bunny,” CPU Coach Kevin Schmidt said. “She just goes and goes and goes … the other girls feed off that. Her enthusiasm drives everyone.”

Bowe, a Loras soccer commit, was a Class 1A honorable mention all-state selection in 2024. She led the team in assists and was second in goals.

This year, she ranks second on the team in goals (12) and third in assists (6).

“I think we’re really playing well as a team,” Bowe said. “We’re moving for each other, we’re connecting and I think it’s created a lot of opportunities to score — not just for me, but for others as well.”

Beyond the box score, Bowe’s playing style and skills fit seamlessly into CPU’s game plan.

“We are a team that focuses on possession and making sure the other team doesn’t have a chance to get the ball,” Schmidt said. “She’s been instrumental in keeping control of the ball in the middle of the field.”

Bowe also pairs well with CPU’s other center-mids — Avery Sweeney, Reese Johannes and Addy Tupa, according to Schmidt.

“They play in that triangle in the middle,” Schmidt said. “We rotate them through each other, and they’re very adept at connecting with our forwards.

“They're connecting a lot with Ella (Volz) up there and Lily (Miller), too.”

Sweeney and Miller were the other Stormin’ Pointers to score Tuesday — Miller’s on a nice assist from Bowe.

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Volz, CPU’s standout freshman forward, leads the team with 13 goals.

“I’ve been getting a lot of great passes right to me,” Volz said. “It’s helped me a lot in scoring goals.”

“I was really excited for her (Volz) to come up,” Bowe said. “I remember playing with her some when she was an eighth grader. She’s easy to connect with. She knows the passes.

“She’s got a striker’s mentality.”

The 1A 11th-ranked Stormin’ Pointers (8-1-1) have risen to nearly every occasion this season, with their lone blemish a 2-0 loss to 2A No. 7 Independence in early April.

CPU tied 2A No. 13 Marion on April 21 and downed No. 15 Mount Vernon, 4-0, three days later.

“It’s reassurance for our coaching staff that we’re headed in the right direction and can compete with anybody,” Schmidt said.

The Stormin’ Pointers will get another test on Saturday against 2A No. 1 Waverly-Shell Rock.

No matter the opponent, one trait Schmidt enjoys about his 2025 squad is their fun-loving, unflappable nature.

“If they're nervous before a game, they're not showing it,” Schmidt said. “They love to have fun. They’re calm, relaxed and very coachable. They take feedback and instill it into the next action.”

CPU will close the regular season with two home matches against Clear Creek-Amana (May 13) and Dike-New Hartford (May 16).

Bowe plans to savor every experience as her high school soccer career winds down.

“I'm trying to take advantage of every moment I have because I'm not going to have it for much longer,” Bowe said. “Go out, play hard, have fun with my friends and make memories.