Decorah Boys Host Mason City at Luther in Landmark Soccer Doubleheader

It's your town. Your lives. Your stories. Make sure someone's telling them—donate to Decorah News now. DECORAH – The Decorah boys soccer team hosted the Riverhawks of Mason City for a doubleheader last Thursday, April 16. It was the first time the boys hosted a game at Luther College, and coach Zach Shearer believes playing there is a great way to build the soccer community in northeast Iowa. "Playing at Luther was great. We are hoping to continue to build soccer in the community from the youth levels to the college. We have amazing support and great teams in a small town. Our hope is that we can continue to foster that support within the community. Playing at Luther gives us a bridge to continue that connection." For their first outing at the college, the boys pulled off a couple of nice matches. The junior varsity kicked things off with an exciting 2-2 tie. Both teams had scored in the first half, and while Decorah took a lead with 10 minutes left in the game, the Riverhawks were able to squeeze in one more to secure the tie. About the JV match, Shearer said, "Our JV worked hard and probably deserved a better result based on the chances they created. We had plenty of opportunities to put ourselves up by two goals but just didn't capitalize." On the varsity side, it was senior Ian Giddings who found the back of the net in the first half. The goal came off an assist from senior teammate Will Larson, who crossed the ball into the middle of the field for Giddings to score. On the year, Giddings leads the team with 13 goals. Playing on the larger college field proved advantageous for both spacing and, according to assistant coach Josh Giddings, "It was a great experience for our guys. The field is bigger, and it was great to give them a good perspective of what college soccer is like." For the game, Decorah led in almost every category. The Vikings had 16 shots (10 on goal) compared to the Riverhawks, who had seven shots (one on goal). Senior goalkeeper Jameson LaBelle had no problem making the one save. The Vikings also had eight corner kicks compared to two by the Riverhawks. "The varsity put together a great performance on both ends of the field," said Shearer. "Our attack created multiple opportunities, and on another night we put more of those opportunities away. We are happy with the 1-0 result and go into next week looking to continue our string of good performances." The team is on the road Monday, April 20, when they travel to Dubuque to play a formidable Hempstead squad. Game time is set for 4:15. More information on the games, stats and schedule can be found at GoBound. Stay connected and informed! Join the free newsletter for curated news, trending topics, and insider perspectives you won't find anywhere else.