Spartans fall to CR Kennedy

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By Shannon Heaton | Friday, June 6, 2008 1:08 PM CDT | () comments

MUSCATINE, Iowa — Before taking her soccer team’s best chance to score Thursday night against Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Pleasant Valley junior forward Courtney Linn had a dilemma to solve.

Should she take the penalty kick, as teammate Anna Aquino had advised, or pass it up in favor of senior Katy Wendt?

Linn chose the latter. Though her choice ultimately didn’t affect the outcome of PV’s Class 2A state quarterfinal loss against the Cougars, it was the right call to make, as it allowed Wendt — the team’s emotional leader and one of two seniors on the team — to score a goal in her final game, which became a 3-1 Kennedy victory.

“Anna told me to take it, but I wanted to give (Wendt) one last chance. She needed that,” Linn said.

Wendt’s final high school goal came in not only her final game, but also that of her next-door neighbor, PV coach Cathy Allbaugh, who stepped down after the game.

“I’ve grown up a lot over the last four years, both as a player and a person. I never could do that without coach and my teammates,” Wendt said. “I told the girls before the game how proud I was of them, that we’d qualified for state with such a young team.

“We gave it a good shot but we couldn’t quite finish it.“

Early in the match, Kennedy showed why it had put together a 16-2 season and why it handled Bettendorf 6-0 in last week’s Region 6 semifinals.

The Cougars scored their first goal seven minutes into the match, and though PV had some scattered chances here and there, Kennedy dictated the pace of play at both ends in both halves, both against the wind in the first half and with it in the second.

“Their ball control is absolutely wonderful, every first touch perfect,” Linn said. “It seemed that they had girls everywhere. And we couldn’t be everywhere.“

Emily Prais had a chance just a few minutes into the second half, but Kennedy keeper Rachel Spellerberg made the stop to preserve a 1-0 lead.

As it turned out, another chance didn’t come until 22 minutes later, when the Cougars were whistled for a handball in the 18-yard box, leading to the PV penalty kick.

“With only losing two players, this team has a bright future, not only next year, but in the years to come. I know they can make it to the title game (in 2009) and do some great things,” Wendt said.

As for Allbaugh, she ended her career coaching a program that has gone to state more times than any other current Class 2A team save one (eight times). It’s the years, all the players, but especially the moments she said she’d miss most.

“I will never forget this season, because the girls were really wonderful. Their character defines them. They all have awesome character, not just on the soccer field, but as they go on,” Allbaugh said.

“It’s not this (state tournaments) that I’ll remember, but all the great times we had as a team, how hard they worked. It’s been a pleasure (being around soccer) for 19 years. I loved playing it, watching it, coaching it.”

Contact the Times sports desk at 563-383-2285 or sports@qctimes.com