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NORTH LIBERTY – Throughout the regular season Liberty High relied on the playmaking ability of Ayi Ajavon and Kolby Godbolt.

Liberty High turned to Ajavon and Godbolt again on Monday in its postseason opener and the duo was at its playmaking best.

Godbolt scored three goals and had four assists and Ajavon added a goal and an assist as Liberty High (6-11) rolled to a 9-2 win over Keokuk (2-17) in a Class 2A, Substate 5 quarterfinal in North Liberty.

“Kolby and Ayi have been leaders for us all season and they were good again tonight,” Liberty High coach Ben Watson said. “They were involved in most of our goals whether it was assists or scoring goals themselves and they have just been consistent for us all season.”

Ajavon and Godbolt combined to score 24 of Liberty High’s 32 regular season goals.

The duo impressed again on Monday but got plenty of help as six Liberty High players scored while the Lightning advanced to take on Mount Pleasant (13-5) on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in a substate semifinal.

“I think we just passed it around and were a little bit less selfish,” Godbolt said. “When we play unselfish we work really well together and I think that was really a big key in us creating that big gap.”

Ajavon and Godbolt hooked up early to give Liberty High a 1-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the match.

Godbolt played a ball to Ajavon who put it away to give Liberty High the early lead it was looking for.

“Our defense got the ball back and played it down the side to Kolby and right down to me,” Ajavon said. “We wanted to get an early lead on them and we were able to do that.”

Amah Ajavon scored off a Godbolt assist to make it 2-0 before Liberty High exploded for five goals in the final 18:54 of the opening half.

“That was very important to get those first two goals,” Ajavon said. “We really wanted to get out early and control the whole game.”

The Liberty High barrage began when Godbolt found Cole Accola with a through ball and Accola hammered a shot off the far post and in for a 3-0 lead win the 22nd minute.

“I just saw that Cole had the opportunity and I gave it to him,” Godbolt said. “He called for it and I just made the pass and he finished.”

Liberty High was just getting warmed up.

Eiseley Dykstra scored off a Hayden Thompson assist with 13:06 left in the opening half and a minute later Godbolt scored off a Patrick Ndaruhutse feed to make it 5-0.

Ndaruhutse scored a goal of his own with 9:01 left off an Ajavon assist and Godbolt capped the first-half scoring with a rocket of a shot from the middle of the field with 3:04 remaining.

“We started to space a little better, we kept our positioning like we should have been throughout the first half and then we just played simple,” Watson said. “We played quickly and we played balls to feet, give and gos things like that instead of trying to dribble through Keokuk we decided it is easier to pass it like we’ve worked on all season. We just started to play a little more simple.”

Godbolt and Accola each had second half goals to cap the scoring.

With the win Liberty High matches its postseason performance from a year ago, now the Lightning will try to take it a step further.

Last season Liberty High fell to Cedar Rapids Xavier in a substate semifinal and with a win over Mount Pleasant on Wednesday the Lightning could get a rematch with the Saints in the Substate 5 title game.

“They will be a tough game and we will definitely have to play a little bit better out of the back against them so we don’t give up some easy goals,” Watson said of Mount Pleasant. “They are a team that can definitely hurt you.”

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