Soccer Game Preview: Ankeny vs. Lincoln

Ankeny is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Lincoln is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Hawks will host the Railsplitters on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Ankeny barely beat Cedar Falls the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Hawks put the hurt on the Tigers with a sharp 6-2 win on Tuesday. Given Ankeny's advantage in MaxPreps' Iowa soccer rankings (they are ranked fifth, while Cedar Falls are ranked 33rd) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, Lincoln kept a clean sheet against Ottumwa on Tuesday. They blew past the Bulldogs 3-0. Lincoln's defense has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a goal in their last four contests.

Ankeny has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 12 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-5-3 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored 42 goals over those 12 games. As for Lincoln, their win bumped their record up to 18-3.

Ankeny was able to grind out a solid victory over Lincoln in their previous matchup back in April of 2022, winning 3-1. Will the Hawks repeat their success, or do the Railsplitters have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.