OTTUMWA — Even a storm that dumped more than an inch of water on the field couldn't stop a new record from being set.
The Ottumwa women's soccer team weathered the storm Thursday night, though, as rain delays lasted more than an hour. The Bulldogs fought through the rain and finally defeated Centerville 10-0 with the winning goal coming with 7:34 left in the second half.
By the time the 10th goal came in, it looked like the game was probably going to be delayed even further. Heavy rain began to fall at Schaefer Stadium in the second round, but it looked like the Ottumwa girls soccer team still had work to do.
“When it's raining this hard, it's hard to score,” Ottumwa girls soccer head coach Matthew Erlandson said after the game. “The ball starts flying and it doesn't go the way you want it to. Scoring a goal in a downpour is exactly what we've been talking about finishing the game.”
What was at stake for the Ottumwa girls Thursday night was preserving any bit of team history. The win marked the Ottumwa girls' eighth win of the season. With this, Ottumwa's 2024 women's team will go down in history.
“This sets a record for most wins in a single season for an Ottumwa girls team,” Erlandson noted. “We want to build on that even more before the end of the season. We can't think about this game too long, we just need to prepare for the next game.”
That may be why the Ottumwa girls were able to persevere under such dire conditions throughout the game.
Before the rain started, the Bulldogs quickly scored two goals to take a 2-0 lead with 23:07 left in the first half. The Bulldogs were celebrating their second goal when lightning struck the area and they had to retreat to the locker room. The thunder was followed by heavy rain, causing puddles to form around the Schaefer Stadium soccer field. Approximately two hours after the game was suspended, the threat of lightning subsided and play resumed, with Ottumwa scoring a goal.
Less than 10 minutes into the game, Ilana Bascones scored her third goal of the game, sending a goal past the Centerville goalie.
Mia Garza Trejo then contributed the next two goals. First she scored a goal with her own feet. She then sent a centering pass to the feet of Addison Kunak for her fifth goal. The Bulldogs entered halftime with a 5-0 lead.
“Probably the biggest thing was our ability to come back after we stopped the game with the level of intensity and level of play that we had,” Erlandson said. “They got right back into the game and were on the attack for almost the whole game. The conditions were terrible the whole game, but they came through to the end. Lots of action, lots of good passes.”
Garza-Trejo led the attack, scoring a goal seven minutes into the second half and adding another just four minutes later to make history. The Bulldogs led 7-0 after him and didn't seem to be slowing down, even as rain began to fall again and wet the field.
“Mia was still Mia,” Erlandson said. “She brings everyone into the game, which makes us incredibly dangerous. She allows other teammates to do the same, so people can't just try to stop her. She gets everyone involved and that's why the team can't beat us.”
Apparently everyone in Ottumwa was in attendance. Even as Centerville changed goaltenders to slow down the Bulldogs' offense, Garza Trejo continued to open up the seams in Centerville's defense.
Garza-Trejo's play is a big reason why the Bulldogs set a new record for wins in a season.
“Mia gets the ball, and now it's just a matter of shooting,” Erlandson said. “It would be great if we could execute like that. We're going to be a really tough team to play against because we have a defensive line that can defend the line well.”
With the game reaching a 9-0 score with over eight minutes left in the second half, the next two Ottumwa players to add their names to the scoresheet were Ilana Vascones and Samia Argueta.
Another round of heavy rain didn't dampen the Bulldogs' spirits. They sealed the victory with Vascones' final goal with 7:34 remaining.
The Bulldogs (8-4) will play Marshalltown next Tuesday.
