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ON THE MOVE

Dodgers advance with shutout in regional opener

Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Makenzie Fuller of Fort Dodge works the ball down the field against the defense of Boone’s Tayler Graham on Saturday at Dodger Stadium. For more photos, visit CU.messengernews.net

The Fort Dodge girls soccer team was anxious to get the postseason started.

The Dodgers scored a 2-0 victory over Boone here Saturday night in a Class 3A, Region 2 opener. Fort Dodge (7-9 overall) now meets No. 11 West Des Moines Dowling on Wednesday in the semifinals.

Junior Makenzie Fuller scored the first goal nine minutes in, while classmate Mara Crimmins added an insurance goal early in the second half to end a six-match losing skid for the Dodgers.

After starting the year out 6-2, Fort Dodge dropped games to ranked programs such as No. 2 (1A) North Polk, second-ranked (3A) West Des Moines Valley, No. 4 (3A) Ames, fifth-rated (3A) Ankeny Centennial and No. 8 (3A) Johnston to close out the regular season.

But that was all wiped away inside Dodger Stadium on Saturday, as FDSH prevailed to matched its highest win total since 2013. That year also marked the last postseason win for the Dodgers, as they toppled Sioux City North.

“This feels nice,” FDSH head coach Michael Lee said. “When you are building a program, you have to take steps to get to the top. This is an achievement that will only help us grow moving forward.”

Fort Dodge had a goal wiped out due to an off-sides call in the first half, while also failing to convert a penalty kick in the opening 40 minutes.

The Toreadors (6-11) never threatened keeper Liza Van Zyl, though, as the Fort Dodge defense controlled much of the 80-minute battle.

“A lot of people think scoring is the easiest thing to do in soccer,” Lee said. “It’s not. It’s the hardest. We could have had a few more shots, but we were never in danger.”

Dowling (10-5-1) picked up a 6-1 victory over the Dodgers earlier this year, but the Maroons closed the year by posting just a 1-3-1 mark down the stretch. Freshman Caitlin Clark tallied three goals in that win, while three others added a goal each.

“We’ll have to play much better against Dowling, that’s for sure,” Lee said. “But our girls are ready to give it everything they have.”

In the other regional semifinal, the Dragons take on Des Moines Lincoln. The regional final is Monday, June 5, in West Des Moines.

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