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Linn-Mar boys’ soccer team starting to find consistency against a tough schedule
Lions put together back-to-back wins against 4A No. 5 Waukee Northwest and 3A No. 9 Cedar Rapids Xavier
MARION — It’s been a bit of a yo-yo season for the Linn-Mar boys’ soccer team.
The Lions have yet to lose back-to-back games in 2024. On the flip side, they hadn’t won back-to-back games — until Thursday.
Linn-Mar (4-3) finally broke the .500 plane with a 4-1 home victory Thursday against Class 3A No. 9-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier (4-3). The win came just five days after a 1-0 blanking of 4A No. 5 Waukee Northwest.
“We haven't played an easy game yet, and this wasn't any easier,” Linn-Mar Coach Corey Brinkmeyer said. “Xavier really battled, and kudos to Coach Sho (Takaoka) and their team. They put us in some compromising situations.”
One of the Lions’ struggles this season has been capitalizing on good looks at the net. Linn-Mar has scored 11 goals in its seven games this season.
“We just have to keep our heads in there,” Linn-Mar senior Bryce Rosene said. “I mean, me personally, when I miss one, I kind of put my head down. But if we just keep our heads in the game, sooner or later they’ll fall.”
The Lions bucked the trend Thursday with a season-high four goals against the Saints. Brinkmeyer hopes his team can build on that offensive momentum.
“We're starting to put it on goal more, whereas before, we were putting it over,” Brinkmeyer said. “We weren't even putting it on frame, so baby steps. As long as we're peaking at the right time, that's all I care about.”
Rosene, Max Cassidy, Nathan Fish and Seth Comer all scored goals against Xavier.
“It felt good. We needed it,” Rosene said. “We definitely controlled most of the first half and then the second half, we finally started playing with the back of the net.”
With the opponents the Lions have played this season, it makes some sense as to why goals haven’t been easy to come by.
According to Bound’s power rankings, Linn-Mar has played the most difficult schedule in the state.
The Lions faced four other ranked teams prior to taking on Northwest and Xavier, falling to No. 1 Johnston, No. 4 Bettendorf and No. 7 West Des Moines Valley and beating No. 3 Ankeny.
“We've had a really tough schedule,” Brinkmeyer said. “We did that on purpose. We want to know who we are now versus later. The guys have battled every game.”
Of their seven remaining games, three will be against ranked opponents (3A No. 7 Cedar Rapids Washington, 4A No. 6 Iowa City West and 4A No. 9 Dubuque Hempstead).
“If we can just find a little bit more scoring, I'd probably sleep a little easier at night,” Brinkmeyer said. “I think we know that we're good. We just haven't put all the pieces together on the same night yet. If we can do that, especially against a quality opponent, I think the sky's the limit.”
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