Lions top Cougars in bizarre match
In a soccer match that almost ended midway in the second half when the lead official walked off the field, a stout defense by the fourth-ranked Linn-Mar girls prevailed in a 3-2 win Thursday night at Cedar Rapids Kennedy.
The second-ranked Cougars could have sent it into overtime, but a dead-onfree penalty kick by Emily Feltes with 1:27 to go was smacked straight into the clutches of Lions goalkeeper Rylee Frese.
“We had our chances,” said Kennedy assistant coach Scott Myers. “We had the ball inside the box right at the end, and you can't ask for anything better than that.”
Kennedy head coach Andrew McKnight announced previously that his last game would be next week against Washington because he is joining the Iowa City Police Department. But Myers took the reins sooner than expected when McKnight was hit with two yellow cards for disputing calls and automatically ejected with 23:36 left in the match.
Immediately thereafter, the referee who made the calls walked off the field into the parking lot. Order was restored 15 minutes later when Kennedy athletic director Aaron Stecker coaxed him back into the game.
“We all wanted the game to finish,” said Linn-Mar Coach Steve Dickinson. “This was a game for the girls.”
