Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Regina felt like it let one slip away in a top-15 non-conference clash with Clear Creek Amana.

The Clippers felt like they lost an opportunity as well.

Neither team left with a loss on its record on Monday evening but no one left happy either.

Class 2A No. 15 Clear Creek Amana scored twice in the final 20 minutes to erase a two-goal halftime deficit and finish with a 3-3 tie against Class 1A No. 15 Regina at Regal Field in Iowa City.

“It feels very incomplete, it feels like a loss,” Regina senior Caitlyn Bell said. “It’s obviously a tie on the record but it feels like a loss the way it ended.”

Lena Evans scored a pair of second-half goals to complete a hat trick as Clear Creek Amana (9-3-2) erased a 3-1 halftime deficit.

Despite the strong finish Evans and the Clippers still weren’t satisfied with the final outcome.

“We definitely felt like we should have won but we came in knowing it was going to be tough, they are good team, they are a ranked team too,” Evans said. “We started off really slow which we aren’t very happy about.”

Regina (9-3-2) never trailed on Monday but wasn’t able to close out a win.

The Regals took an early lead when senior Elise Gingerich scored on a breakaway less than eight minutes into the match.

Gingerich ran onto a deep pass from freshman Chloe Rockafellow and slipped a shot past Clear Creek Amana goal keeper Hayden Coughenour to give the Regals an early advantage.

“In those types of situations when you have a one-v-one versus the keeper you just have to look for the pockets,” Gingerich said. “That’s what I try to do every time is just simple pass. You just have to put it on frame and you have a greater than 50 percent chance.”

Regina went up 2-0 a little more than 10 minutes later when Bell scored with 22:19 remaining in the first half.

An Evans blast from outside the box cut the lead to 2-1 just 30 seconds later but Regina pushed the margin to 3-1 at the half when Gingerich scored her second goal of the match on a penalty kick following a foul inside the box.

“I think we are passing and moving very well,” Gingerich said. “I think we did a good job of getting wide and getting the crosses in and when we are able to connect on that cross than its totally on.”

Led by Evans the Clippers rallied in the second half.

Evans cut the lead to 3-2 with under 20 minutes remaining and scored the equalizer when she knocked in a loose ball in front of the goal with 7:19 to play.

“It was kind of a tough position, it was a really good ball by Kendyl (Malli),” Evans said. “I just was able to tap it in. I saw a tiny gap between the goalie and the goal and I just hit it.”

For the Clippers the tie came following a 5-1 loss to Class 3A ninth-ranked Liberty High on Thursday.

Clear Creek Amana concludes the regular season against sixth-ranked North Polk on Wednesday.

“We are definitely connecting passes better,” Evans said. “We are slowing the game down and having it in our control.”

The tie was the second straight for Regina which has gone winless in its last three matches following a 9-2 start to the season.

The Regals have regular season matches remaining at Solon on Thursday and at home against Waterloo Columbus on Friday.

“I hope this gives us more fire going forward,” Bell said. “It should just lite a fire in our belly.”

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