Wind has big impact for Ankeny in defeat of Linn-Mar

IOWA CITY — Mother Nature played a delayed April Fools' joke on teams in the Iowa City West boys' soccer invitational. Sunday's forecast of temperatures in the 70s was just a tease Saturday for players and fans weathering 30-degree temps and winds between 30 to 50 mph.

One of the first casualties was No. 1 Linn-Mar, the defending state champion, which dropped its season opener, 3-2, to Ankeny. The bluster started as a crosswind but gradually was coming from the northwest and benefited the Hawks in the second half.

'It was indescribable,' Ankeny's Fred Frimpong said. 'The wind was a huge factor.'

'It was a huge factor, but we knew in the second half we'd have some opportunities,' Ankeny's Will Nurre said.

The Lions' Nathan Luzindya scored in the sixth minute, and that was it for the first half. Linn-Mar Coach Corey Brinkmeyer bemoaned the inability to take advantage of the wind in the first half, as Ankeny continually frustrated the Lions' attacks.

Ankeny cranked up its attack in the second half. Nurre passed to Frimpong in front of the goal to tie the game in the 44th minute.

The Lions retook the lead on Blake Comstock's long run down the right side and beautifully angled shot into the goal with 17 minutes left.

But Frimpong responded with a floater from the left that the wind bent into the goal just out of the keeper's reach with 9 minutes left.

'Since I'm left-footed, I thought I could get it up in the wind and it would be difficult for the keeper,' he said.

Frimpong's run down the left side and cross to Nurre scored the winner with 4 minutes left.

'Me and Will, we've been playing together since we were 4, so I knew he'd be there for me,' Frimpong said.

Brinkmeyer thought his team played better than it did in Thursday's Jamboree scrimmage but clearly there are things to work on.

'Give them a lot of credit for being a physical team,' Brinkmeyer said. 'They were more physical on the ball.'

Linn-Mar defeated Pleasant Valley, 3-1, in its afternoon game.