-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Emily Goodner of Fort Dodge compete against Mason City on Tuesday at Dodgers Courts

The Fort Dodge girls tennis squad couldn’t quite catch Mason City on Tuesday, as the Dodgers dropped a 7-4 decision to the Riverhawks.

Emily Goodner, a senior at Manson Northwest Webster, prevailed in her singles match for FDSH and also teamed with Claire Dardenne to win in doubles. Goodner defeated Celine Matthews, 7-5 and 7-5.

“This was the best competition we’ve faced of the three matches we’ve had so far, so we started a little slow in some of our matches,” Dodger head coach Julie Astor said. “It took some time for Emily to settle in, but when she did, she played well and it gave her momentum going into the doubles (competition).

“She’s a smart player who knows what she’s doing.”

Ashlyn Headlee also earned a victory in singles with a 10-7 tiebreaker. Kaitlyn Folsom and Janelle Long prevailed for Fort Dodge (1-2 overall) in the No. 5 doubles slot, 6-4 and 6-3.

“Ashlyn really fought back and was impressive in doing so,” Astor said. “And it was a nice win from Kaitlyn and Janelle in doubles. A big confidence boost for them.”

Mason City improved to 2-1 on the year.

The Dodgers are back in action on Thursday at Marshalltown. Action starts at 4 p.m.

MASON CITY 7, FORT DODGE 4

Singles — Emily Goodner, FD, def. Celine Matthews, 7-5, 7-5; Ashlyn Headlee, FD, def. Chloe Callanan, 4-6, 7-6, 10-7; Ella Turk, MC, def. Claire Dardenne, 6-1, 6-3; Olivia Wickman, MC, def. Olivia Hamlow, 6-4, 6-1; Rylei Brick, MC, def. Grace Behrens, 6-3, 6-0; Tamar Lewerke, MC, def. Hailey Folsom, 6-0, 6-0.

Doubles — Goodner/Dardenne, FD, def. Matthews/Brick, 6-3, 6-4; Calananan/Turk, MC, def. Headlee/Hamlow, FD, 6-0, 6-7, 10-7; Wickman/Knipper, MC, def. Behrens/Folsom, 6-4, 6-1; Lewerke/Kaitlyn Thangaraj, MC, def. Trusha Bhatt/Sydney Gebers, 6-1, 7-5; Kailtyn Folsom/Janelle Long, FD, def. Iles/Sampson, 6-4, 6-3.