Linn-Mar takes advantage of speed in 3A quarterfinal win

DES MOINES - The Kansas City Royals have made popular over the last year-plus a phrase that, while grammatically incorrect, succinctly describes their game: 'That's what speed do.”

That phrase can be applied directly to the Linn-Mar boys' soccer team as well.

The Lions proved it on Thursday in their 2-0 Class 3A quarterfinal win against Dubuque Hempstead - both on attack and while defending. Linn-Mar avenged its 3-1 loss to Hempstead earlier in the season and now have a date in the semifinals with No. 1 seed Johnston.

'Speed kills, right? Isn't that what they say?” said Linn-Mar Coach Corey Brinkmeyer. 'We've got a lot of speed from a lot of different players in different positions. They're very unselfish. And they're hungry.”

Speed was especially on display against Hempstead on attack for Linn-Mar. Senior forward Ben Johnson, sophomore Leroy Enzugusi, senior Daniel Luzindya and his brother Nathan and junior Hunter Wong dominated the ball in the second half. And though they only managed one goal in the final 40 minutes, the pressure was constant on Hempstead keeper Frederic Kalb.

Johnson got the scoring started, exactly five minutes into the game. He took a pass from Enzugusi and finished it to put the Lions (18-3) up, 1-0. In the second half, another quick strike gave Linn-Mar the insurance goal it wanted. Daniel Luzindya scored after taking a deflection off his chest, letting the ball drop to the ground and finishing.

The luxury of such a deep attack keeps other teams guessing and allows the Lions to take advantage.

'You can't key on one player; we're all dangerous,” Johnson said. 'We've got me, Leroy, Daniel and Hunter - basically our front is all dangerous guys. It's so hard to zone in one guy.”

The speed up front is complimented by the speed in the defensive half for Linn-Mar as well. Junior defender Alexy Boehm and senior Dustin Toy anchor the defense and use their speed to be able to take some risks offensively and still get back.

That assurance has let the Lions stay aggressive all season, Brinkmeyer said.

'I think every game we've played up to what we feel like we're able to play, I think our defense has played well in every one of those games,” Brinkmeyer said. 'The three games we lost, really only one of them the defense didn't play well.”

The first half was a back-and-forth affair between the two teams, with Linn-Mar keeper Philip Adams making a few key saves.

But in the second half, Hempstead never got a shot on goal. A deep and talented bench - yes, full of speed, too - provided Linn-Mar with everything it needed to wear the Mustangs down and ensure themselves a spot in the semifinals for the second straight year.

'We're a very deep team,” Johnson said. 'When it comes to our bench players, on some other teams they'd be starters. We're so well-rounded, so while other teams get tired, we come in and have an awesome bench.”

There's no doubting the quarterfinal win was the start to the state tournament Brinkmeyer and his crew wanted, but that doesn't mean it was perfect.

Improvements can always be made and Brinkmeyer certainly saw some things his team can improve on when they face the 20-0 Dragons with a trip to the title game on the line. And even though their speed is what they use to take advantage of teams, it can lead to getting greedy.

'We can improve on our positioning a little bit. Tactically, we were out of position a few times,” Brinkmeyer said. 'But for the most part, I was happy with the attack. We just need to make sure we don't just push our speed up top and let them try and do all the work themselves.”

Linn-Mar and Johnston kick off at 5 p.m. on Friday on Field 9 at Cownie Soccer Complex.

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com