The Maroons were dominating time of possession and generally out-working MHS, and by the end of the first half Dowling owned a 2-0 lead.

Marshalltown head coach Chris Fuchsen said he had a simple message for his guys at halftime.

“I told them what everyone else noticed, that we weren’t playing with any sort of intensity, we didn’t have any heart, they were beating us to every 50/50 ball and ones that they weren’t beating us to they were pressuring,” Fuchsen said. “They were moving off of the ball, all of those little things. The hunger, the desire, the passion, the commitment, the work ethic, everything that every coach tries to preach, we weren’t doing it.”

Needing a spark, Fuchsen decided to turn to his bench players for help, a move that paid immediate dividends for the Bobcats.

T-R PHOTO BY THORN COMPTON • Marshalltown sophomore René Hernandez, right, makes a move past Dowling Catholic defender Alex Goodell during the first half of the Bobcats’ loss to the Maroons on Friday at Leonard Cole Field.

“At halftime I told them it’s not about x’s and o’s, it’s about hunger and desire and willingness to work,” Fuchsen said. “That was the difference, the guys that were on the bench in the first half and don’t get a lot of minutes, I put them in for a reason. They all understood it and went out and made that difference, and that’s what it’s about.”

Less than six minutes into the second half, senior Ian Hernandez found the back of the net off an assist on a free kick by sophomore Jose Torres, and all of a sudden MHS had new life. For the next 34 minutes, the Bobcats would hound Maroons goalkeeper Adam Kroll with shot after shot, but Dowling would hang on by a thread and take a 2-1 victory back home.

Fuchsen said even though the guys couldn’t come out with a win, he liked to see how his bench came in and changed the entire makeup of the game.

“Ian Hernandez and Caleb Summers came in and stepped up with some big minutes,” Fuchsen said. “Around the park, all the guys that stepped in like Carlos Dorado-Robles, it was just about applying some hunger because if you are able to put kids under some pressure it makes it difficult to play with a round object at your feet. If you give a kid time and space it makes it a lot easier and that’s the game we play.”

Because of the big second half, Marshalltown (8-5, 2-2) outshot Dowling (8-5, 4-1) 16-12 in total shots and 10-9 in shots on goal. Torres had nine of the Bobcats’ 16 shots, as well as six of the 10 shot on goal, but he just couldn’t quite find the back of the net.

T-R PHOTO BY THORN COMPTON • Marshalltown junior Brandon Ordaz, left, heads the ball upfield during the first half of the Bobcats’ 2-1 loss to Dowling Catholic on Friday at Leonard Cole Field.

MHS was shorthanded as well, with senior forward Tony Angel missing the game due to an injury as well as a few players having to come out during the match. Sophomore goalkeeper Jesus Munoz was one such player, as he was having issues at halftime, but senior Ricky Ibarra moved in to the goal and pitched a shutout in the second half with five saves.

“I was planning on using Ricky in the back because he is a very confident and talented goalkeeper and he wasn’t necessarily giving us what we needed in the middle of the park so having that option back there when Jesus wasn’t feeling good was a no-brainer and he solidified the goal,” Fuchsen said. “Stopped a couple of shots and was playing with a little bit more confidence.”

Andrew Feltz had both goals for the Maroons, one in the 22nd minute and one in the 32nd minute, while Kroll finished with nine saves for Dowling in the win.

Marshalltown will get a bit of a rest after playing back-to-back games against the Maroons and Johnston, with its final game of the regular season set for Tuesday at home against Des Moines Lincoln.

“I told the boys like I do every weekend to take care of their bodies and be ready to train on Monday,” Fuchsen said. “Obviously with our last game of the season being a home game we want to be able to send the seniors out and put on a show for the spectators and really end the season on a positive note.”

T-R PHOTO BY THORN COMPTON

That game between the Bobcats and Railsplitters is set for a 7:30 p.m. first kick on Tuesday at Leonard Cole Field.

Dowling Catholic 2, Marshalltown 1

At Marshalltown

Dowling Catholic 2 0 — 2

MHS 0 1 — 1

First half

DC — Andrew Feltz, 21:59

DC — Feltz, 31:02

Second half

MHS — Ian Hernandez (Jose Torres), 45:48

Goalkeepers–DC: Adam Kroll (10 shots on goal, 9 saves); MHS: Jesus Muñoz (4-2), Ricky Ibarra (5-5).

Shots — DC 12, MHS 16

Shots on goal — DC 9, MHS 10

Corner kicks — DC 4, MHS 2

Yellow cards — Moises Muñoz, MHS, 51:32.