For long stretches last Thursday night, it felt like the goals would never come. Chances piled up, goalkeepers came up with huge saves throughout the night, and both sidelines grew louder with every missed opportunity. But by the end of a physical doubleheader between Solon High School and Marion High School, Marion escaped with two hard-fought wins, taking the girls match 2-1 before the boys team rallied late for a 2-1 victory over the Spartans.
The atmosphere carried the feel of a postseason matchup from the opening whistle. Solon’s student section may have started the boys game with only seven students packed in the stands, but their energy echoed across the field all night. Parents chirped back and forth, benches erupted after every big play, and the physicality showed up early in both matches.
The girls game opened with both teams pushing aggressively in transition. Solon goalkeeper Audrey Heineman came up with an early run-out stop to prevent a Marion breakthrough, while junior Laney Johnson fired one of the Spartans’ first dangerous chances on goal.
Solon kept generating chances via the center of the pitch. Sophomore Kinley Mai played a through ball forward to Jillian Janssen, who almost got to it before Marion goalkeeper Josie Logan raced out to secure it. Shortly after, Laeni Hinkle twirled past the goalkeeper and came close to sliding a shot into the right post, but it went just off target.
Despite Solon’s initial pressure, Marion scored first midway through the first half. Senior Hayley Potter found an opening near the box and fired a shot that went past Heineman for a 1-0 lead for the Wolves.
The Spartans answered quickly.
Hinkle pushed the attack down the right side before sending a cross through the front of goal, where Johnson finished from the left side to even the score at 1-1.
Solon nearly grabbed the lead again before halftime after Sophia Link delivered a through ball that set up a shot from Teagan Zearley, but Logan made another save to keep the game tied entering the break.
“I felt like, especially in the first half, we were looking to kind of play that ball in between their center back and outside back,” Solon head coach Amanda Paulson said. “That wide winger was able to kind of make that diagonal run, so it’s towards goal.”
The second half decreased in pace significantly as both defenses strengthened. Marion finally made a breakthrough when senior Margaret Utsinger found room for a one-on-one, maneuvered past a defender, and placed a left-footed shot across the goal into the far corner for what became the game-winner.
Solon continued generating opportunities late. Link missed just over the crossbar, while senior Sofia Ortega repeatedly found herself behind the defense on through balls but could not finish the final touch.
Even in defeat, Paulson liked the mentality her team showed throughout the night.
“They kept it,” Paulson said. “They didn’t put their heads down. They kept working. They kept grinding. It’s easy to lose mental focus in tough games like that, but I like that they grinded tonight.”
While the girls’ match was closely fought, the boys’ game rapidly turned into a struggle for survival for Solon against one of the top-ranked teams in the state.
No. 3 Marion controlled possession for the majority of the first half, but Solon senior goalie Jake Grimm would not allow the Wolves to score. Grimm executed save after save in the beginning, featuring a diving block on a cross from the right side and another frantic recovery after briefly mishandling a tough shot in traffic.
Marion repeatedly tested the Spartans’ defense. Patrick Flanagan danced around defenders before unleashing a hard shot that Grimm eventually secured, while Sawyer Udelhofen narrowly missed the frame with one of Marion’s best first-half chances.
Still, Solon slowly began settling into the match.
Ethan Ulch connected with Ryan Locke for an early shot opportunity, while Collin McKie nearly sparked a breakaway chance during one of Solon’s better counterattacks. Late in the half, Will McAtee ripped a hard shot on target, but Marion goalkeeper Ellis DeBlois stayed in position for the save.
The teams entered halftime scoreless despite Marion controlling much of the ball.
Right after halftime, the Wolves turned the pressure up even further. Matthew Sloan fired an early shot, Marion earned three consecutive corner kicks, and Grimm continued producing massive saves to keep Solon alive.
Then came the breakthrough.
With 22 minutes left, Elliot Sutton played a ball forward into the box, where Ulch managed to get a slight touch to push it past Marion’s DeBlois and gently into the goal. The small yet boisterous Solon student section exploded as the Spartans unexpectedly gained a 1-0 advantage over the third-ranked Wolves.
Marion eventually responded behind its relentless pressure.
Senior David Rinkenberger delivered a cross into the box that found Cole Angell, who finished the equalizer to tie the match 1-1. Minutes later, Bryker Langfald buried a free kick to give Marion the lead for good.
Even after surrendering the lead, Solon continued battling. Grimm added several more saves down the stretch, including another stop on a lofted shot from Angell. Sutton launched a beautiful ball from nearly 30 yards away late in the match, but no Spartan could get on the end of it.
Meanwhile, Solon’s student section continued growing as members of the baseball team and even Marion JV players joined the crowd late in the game, creating one final burst of energy as both teams traded chants across the stands.
Solon head coach Noah Sigwarth said the atmosphere reflected the culture his team has built throughout the season.
“It means a lot to me that they come out and support our guys,” he said. “It’s kind of a testament that we’re treating people the right way and we’ve got good people around here.”
The Solon coach also praised Grimm’s performance, calling it one of the goalkeeper’s best outings of the season.
“He’s slowly gained confidence throughout the year,” Sigwarth said. “This is his first year starting, and I think he’s kind of coming into his own.”
Even though Solon couldn’t finish the upset, Sigwarth thinks the display demonstrated the considerable growth of the Spartans since the season began
“Marion is one of the best teams in the state regardless of class,” he said. “So I think it’s a huge confidence builder playing up a class and really competing with a team like Marion.”
In other action last week
Solon 2 Iowa City High 0
Monday, May 4, the Lady Spartans and Little Hawks clashed in a non-conference duel rescheduled from April 2. Junior Sophia Link, Solon’s leading scorer, struck twice for the win with an assist by senior Sofia Ortega. Senior keeper Audrey Heineman made four saves in the contest as the Little Hawks dropped to 1-8 on the season and Solon improved to 6-2-1.
Solon 4 Grinnell 1
Tuesday, May 5, the Lady Spartans secured a road win over the Grinnell Tigers. Sofia Ortega got the hat trick while freshman Keatyn Schnoor scored once. Schnoor, Sophia Link, and Jillian Janssen made one assist apiece and Audrey Heineman made one save and allowed one goal.
Solon 1 Grinnell 0
The Spartans notched their seventh win of the season Tuesday, May 5 with a 1-0 win over the Grinnell Tigers. Ethan Ulch scored in the second half with an assist by senior Caden Mai. Jake Grimm was perfect in the goal with three saves.
