MAC girls soccer teams get shut out at 1A, 2A state tournaments
MUSCATINE, Iowa — There certainly have been better days for Mississippi Athletic Conference girls soccer teams.
Monday night, for example.
Three days after four MAC teams qualified for the Iowa state tournament — one in a shootout and another knocking off the league champion — all four made first-round exits Thursday at the Muscatine Soccer Complex.
Despite the losses, the teams took solace in the fact that the conference was so well represented.
“There’s no doubt our conference pushed these girls over the top,” North Scott coach Dion Ayers said at 11:30 p.m. after his squad became the final MAC team eliminated, in a 5-0 loss to Johnston.
“Our conference a few years ago, was looked at Bettendorf and Pleasant Valley. Now, to have four teams at state, that’s something.”
Only one of the MAC teams had a close game Thursday. Pleasant Valley lost 1-0 to Ames.
The other two teams, Davenport Assumption and Muscatine, were victims of the top-ranked teams in the state, both defending state champions. Cedar Rapids Xavier beat Assumption 6-1 in the Class 1A quarterfinals, while West Des Moines Valley beat Muscatine 6-0 in a game that had an hourlong weather delay shortly after Valley scored in the first half minute.
“We played a bunch of really tough teams, and that did prepare us,” Assumption’s Erin Fennelly said.
Jon Gremmels can be contacted at (563) 383-2294 or jgremmels@qctimes.com.