Photo by Jeff Yoder / Click to view photo gallery

Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – Last spring the Liberty High boys soccer program was a team without a home.

With outdoor facilities at the school still under construction Liberty High opened its inaugural soccer season with 13 consecutive road games and played its lone “home” contest in Coralville.

On Monday night the Lightning wasted little time getting comfortable in their new surroundings.

Liberty High scored four goals in the opening seven minutes of its first true home game on its way to an 8-0 win over Washington in a non-conference season opener on a wind-swept night in North Liberty.

“It’s nice to have a place to play every single night,” Watson said. “The kids have the same spot they can go to so it’s really nice to actually be home.”

Sophomore Kolby Godbolt scored three goals and juniors Ayi Ajavon and Jordan Barry each added two as Liberty High won its season opener for the second consecutive season.

“It’s a lot better this season to be able to have a place to practice, a place to play home games at right here,” Godbolt said. “I am looking forward to being able to have some fans here and having a better atmosphere here at home.”

Godbolt and Ajavon each scored twice in the opening seven minutes of the game as Liberty High took the drama out of the game early.

Ajavon started the scoring when he scored on a breakaway in the third minute and Godbolt added to the lead with a goal off a penalty kick 40 seconds later.

The duo struck again less than three minutes later.

Ajavon scored to make it 3-0 in the sixth minute and Godbolt scored off a perfect cross from Ajavon 19 seconds later.

“We were very happy to start the season and excited to get out and score goals early,” Ajavon said. “Ever since last season we have wanted to get the season started.”

Ajavon led Liberty High with 19 goals last season and Godbolt scored nine in six games before a season-ending injury.
The two were locked in early on Monday in their first action of the season.

“We learned a lot from last year,” Ajavon said. “It was very good to have time playing together.”

The high-scoring duo had plenty of help in Monday’s season-opener.

Jacob Mascardo gave Liberty High a 5-0 lead when he ripped a shot off the hands of the Washington keeper on a free kick from 22 yards out in the 23rd minute.

Godbolt needed just two minutes to secure his third goal of the game in the second half and Barry added a pair of goals in the final 40 minutes.

“It’s good that we have a lot more people that have experience,” Godbolt said. “Last year a lot of people that hadn’t played that much got a lot of good experience and we are ahead now of where we were last year.”
Despite its constant travels Liberty High posted a 10-7 record in its first varsity season.

The competition takes a step up this season for Liberty High this season as it joins the Mississippi Valley Conference but the Lightning are excited for the challene.  

“It’s good to get some confidence up as we go into MVC games,” Godbolt said. “We know we are going to make some mistakes early but we’d rather make them in games like this before we get into conference games.”

Liberty High travels to Waterloo East on Tuesday and returns home to host 2A fourth-ranked Cedar Rapids Xavier on April 9 in its MVC home opener.

“Last year we had some learning experiences with some losses but I think the kids saw what it takes to be a top level program,” Watson said. “With that they knew what to work on in the offseason so we were able to come in a little ahead of where we were last season.”

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