Instead of hanging their heads, however, the Bobcats went right to work and just two minutes later senior Paw Poe netted the equalizer to tie the game at 1-1, just the second goal of the season for MHS.

The Mohawks responded as well with another goal from Sewell in the 18th minute, and that would prove to be the the game winner as Mason City walked away with a 2-1 victory, but Marshalltown head coach Leigh Hornbuckle said he could care less what the final score was.

“The way the girls played, they left it on the field. The score doesn’t show how actually dominant we were,” Hornbuckle said. “We gave up a lucky goal in the first 12 minutes, we answer within a minute or two after that, and then they got lucky again. The girls played hard, they played awesome, they absolutely left it all on the field and I can’t say any more great things about this team.”

To Hornbuckle’s point, the Bobcats (1-9, 1-3) outshot the Mohawks 12-8, with Sewell putting up five of her team’s eight shots.

T-R PHOTO BY THORN COMPTON - Marshalltown sophomore Anna DiIorio (19) chases down a ball in front of Mason City defender Claire McCardle during the first half of the Bobcats’ 2-1 loss to the Mohawks on Tuesday.

Poe and Madison Schumacker were the leading attackers with three shots, and Hornbuckle said he couldn’t have handpicked a better girl to score his team’s second goal of the season.

“Paw Poe is awesome, she’s a senior and she has taken some leadership responsibility,” he said. “It’s only our second goal, but I am not looking at goals and three weeks ago this was a completely different team.”

In its last home game, Marshalltown lost to Southeast Polk 9-0 and didn’t take any shots. Since that game the Bobcats have only really been blown out by Class 3A No. 2 West Des Moines Valley, and the other games have been close.

Hornbuckle said after the loss to the Rams he switched some things around, including moving Schumacker to the midfield alongside Jade Tejada.

“They have played forever together. They know exactly the next step and everything like that, Jade has the speed and Madison has a good kick,” Hornbuckle said. “Every single one of these girls brings one little special thing. It’s a puzzle piece and we are finally finding it, it’s just a shame that we are finding it with five games left in the season. I would rather find it with five games left in the season than not find it at all.”

T-R PHOTO BY THORN COMPTON

In the second half that good kick from Schumacker nearly tied the game on multiple occasions, but Mohawk goalkeeper Jadyn Sheimo stood strong with six total saves, while MHS keeper Avygail Smith finished with five.

With moving Schumacker to the middle, that took one of the team’s best defenders away, but Hornbuckle said that hasn’t dropped the quality of his defensive unit.

“I told the girls, ‘I’m going to take Madison away from you, what are you going to do?’ and they said they were going to step up,” he said. “They are learning, my defense is solid, the midfield is getting better, the forwards have shown they can do it, so now we just have to improve a few things.”

There are four games remaining on the schedule, three of which are against top-15 opponents. Hornbuckle said it will be a challenge, but he thinks his girls have what it takes to get another win.

“The remaining schedule is tough, but we have home, away, home, away before we start with regionals so I think we can give it a run for our money if we play and leave it all on the field like we have been,” he said.

T-R PHOTO BY THORN COMPTON

Marshalltown will host top-ranked Waukee for its penultimate home game on Friday, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Mason City 2, Marshalltown 1

At Marshalltown

First Half

MC — Gwen Sewell (Nora Suarez), 11:39

MHS — Paw Poe (Jade Tejada), 13:06

MC — Sewell, 17:29

Second Half

No scoring.

Goalkeepers — MC: Jadyn Sheimo (7 shots on goal-6 saves); MHS: Avygail Smith (7-5).

Shots — MC 8, MHS 12.

Shots on Goal — MC 7, MHS 7.

Corner Kicks — MC 2.