DES MOINES - Second-chance opportunities are huge in any sport and those were especially crucial for second-ranked Ankeny Centennial, which scored a pair of goals off deflected shots to win its Class 3A state quarterfinal game against Cedar Rapids Prairie Thursday in the opening round at the Cownie Soccer Park.

The  2-0 setback was a disappointing end to a storybook season for the sixth-ranked Hawks, who were making their first state playoff appearance after seven near-misses in substate finals.

Prairie entered the decisive midway point of the game with a clear goal in mind, but it couldn't account for a pair of loose shots that Centennial converted off the hands of goalkeeper Alec Balta.

"In the scouting report we knew that a couple of their kids hit with power, so it would be tough to catch," said Hawks Coach Curt Lewis, who was making his first state appearance in 12 years as a head coach. "We wanted to maybe push it to the side or follow our marks on a couple and it would help things.

"The game is a reaction and it happens so fast. We saved the first shot, but just didn't get the second."

Centennial struck first when Nermin Kremic drove home a goal in the 39th minute of the first half. The senior forward headed home the goal after a deflected shot-on-goal went skyward.

Standing near the goal-line, Kremic found himself in the right place at the right time to give the Jaguars a 1-0 lead.

"The one before halftime hurt, going down 1-0, but we felt that they were tiring and we thought in the second half with the subbing pattern that we had that we could wear them down and get something early and make it more of a match," Lewis said.

"We thought they were looking tired in the first half and wanted to play a little more direct than we wanted to play to make them run back to the end line a lot. We wanted to push them, make them make a mistake in the midfield and we could get a little closer to the goal. We won the 50-50 balls a lot of times."

But that thought process was short-lived, as the Jaguars struck again shortly after the half when Kenan Smajlovic hammered home a loose ball. The shot came after a miraculous diving stop by Balta that dribbled loose and into the path of Smajlovic.

The Jaguars took their decisive 2-0 lead with 34 minutes left to play and never looked back.

The outcome was particularly disappointing for senior Logan Rinderknecht, who was kept in check after leading Prairie with 16 goals this season. The forward was happy with the way the team responded to Centennial's first goal, but said it was just too much to overcome.

"It was a phenomenal strike at first and our keeper saved it, but then they had the rebound and we didn't follow our mark," said Rinderknecht. "That came back to (hurt) us. We came out and thought we had it in the second half. I feel like my team had 100 percent effort.

"After the first goal, they showed how much they wanted to be on the field. I didn't want it to end too early and it did, but we made it this far and it's quite an accomplishment. It feels like an accomplishment I'll never forget."

After finally breaking through and earning a state playoff berth after seven sub-tate final losses, the Hawks should be better prepared for what they will see next time in Des Moines.

"I'm super proud of this team," Lewis said. "We all set goals every year and this is a goal every team sets. We were short numerous times and to get here with this group - we're going to miss our seniors and they've been a huge part of this program.

"We finally knocked down the door, opened it and hopefully with the next group coming in they'll know how to handle the environment. (Playing to) 2-0 against No. 2 in the state, playing with them, there's nothing to be ashamed of."