Washington boys soccer team loses at IMS Monday

KALONA ? The Washington boys soccer team was handed a loss Monday, April 17, at the hands of the Iowa Mennonite team as they were defeated by a 2-6 final score.

The first point of the game came at the 15-minute mark as Anthony Villatoro got the ball past Washington keeper Thomas Zimmer.

Washington responded 5 1/2 minutes later with a goal by Abdullah Talal to tie the game. IMS would pull ahead at the 28-minute point of the first half when Jacob Boller got it past Zimmer.

Seth Danga wanted to be part of the scoring action as he scored the winning goal with 5:36 left in the first half while Cole Ours put up the first insurance point just 43 seconds later putting the score at 4-1 in IMS? favor at the half.

Returning from the break, Villatoro got another one past Zimmer after nearly 10 minutes of play.

Both teams would battle for control of the ball for nearly 19 minutes until John Dillon was able to get one into the next to put the score at 5-2.

That would be Washington?s last point as another goal by Ours with 7:38 left in play would take the score at 6-2, where it would remain for the rest of the game.

Coach Sally Hart says of the game, ?It was a tough loss. We started slow. It?s hard to come back once you?re down, but it?s nice to see that the guys rallied back and scored two goals.

?Nice work by Abdullah and John. It?s always nice to see in the second half that even when they?re down by multiple goals, that they?re still shooting. Kudos to them.

?We have to go to the ball faster. I?ve been saying that all season, we have to be the first to the ball, and we haven?t been there yet. We will see what happens when we play at Fort Madison.

One of the positives in the game was more players were able to take part in the game.

?I was able to get some guys off the bench, unfortunately due to injuries,? Hart says. ?But I was able to see what they can do at the varsity level, so I think we will be able to rotate them in sooner if not starting them.?

Another advantage for the team is goalie Thomas Zimmer.

?Thomas is pretty steady for us,? Hart says. ?We just need to make sure he?s coming out and making his presence known whether it?s verbally or physically. He?s strong for us and he will continue to be the rest of the season.?

The next time the boys play is Friday, April 21, in Fort Madison. What will the team be working on to get ready for that game?

?We will work on foot speed, so I know the guys won?t be too happy at practice because it will be quite a few sprints and maybe some weight training. That and quick passes. It will be a tiring two or three days, but we will have a team dinner Thursday and we should be able to rally together.?

The game at Fort Madison starts at 5:30 p.m.