Cougars handcuff Lions again

No. 7 Kennedy snaps lengthy winning streaks for top-ranked Linn-Mar

By Susan Harman, correspondent

MARION - Cedar Rapids Kennedy, the team that ended the Linn-Mar girls' soccer team's perfect season a year ago in a regional final, did so again last night with a 2-1 victory at Linn-Mar.

'We're slowly progressing, that's all we're asking,” Kennedy Coach Scott Myers said. 'We've had a tough start. We've had some good teams to start with.”

The loss broke top-ranked Linn-Mar's 23-game MVC winning streak and its 21-game regular-season winning streak. Kennedy, ranked seventh, improved to 3-1 in the MVC and 4-2 overall. Linn-Mar is 4-1, 4-1.

'We weren't expected to win this game,” Kennedy's Sydney Hayden said. 'We were underdogs since we've lost two games already, so we just came in and tried to have fun and we played well.

'We kept possession most of the game, and we connected with each other well. I felt like we had the ball most of the time.”

Kennedy scored in the eighth minute on Hayden's beautiful cross from the right side to Alyssa Drewelow.

'She got into the goal at the back post and I crossed it and it hit off someone, and she was right there in the perfect spot,” Hayden said.

'Follow the ball,” Drewelow said.

The Cougars added a second first-half goal on a turn-and-shoot by reserve Alissa Waterhouse.

The Lions' offense had some great chances early in the first half, but Kennedy keeper Olivia Weigel's quick feet foiled the through-ball attacks. After that, Linn-Mar seemed to attack down the middle into the teeth of the defense and didn't have any space to get off a shot.

Linn-Mar scored on an own goal with 21 minutes left in the match and got a burst of energy.

'When they scored the momentum definitely changed,” Hayden said. 'It was a more physical game after the yellow cards, but we just tried to keep our composure.”

'We didn't come in with a lot of pressure. We just wanted to play our game, and that's just how we came out and played,” Drewelow said.