It took a rare early goal and a third consecutive shutout, but the Marshalltown girls’ soccer team still secured its first three-game win streak of the season with Tuesday’s 1-0 victory over Des Moines North at Leonard Cole Field.

McKenna Coleman tallied her team-leading 14th goal of the season less than eight minutes into Tuesday’s Iowa Alliance Conference clash, and it proved to be enough for the Bobcats (9-3-2). Sophomore goalkeeper Sophia Valdez Chavez needed just five saves to keep a clean sheet and Marshalltown made off with its third-straight shutout win.

The Bobcats are unbeaten (5-0-2) in their last seven matches.

“We’re usually a second-half scoring team, so it was nice to get it early so we could settle in and play how we need to play instead of pressing,” said MHS head coach Stacy Galema. “I think for the most part they did a good job of recognizing where our opportunities were and where they weren’t.”

Marshalltown has scored 22 first-half goals and 24 second-half tallies this season, leaning heavily on second-half scores to go 1-0-2 last week with five of six goals arriving after intermission.

Coleman’s goal at the 7:41 mark wasn’t one for the highlight reel, but it was all the Bobcats would need against a Des Moines North squad with just nine goals in 12 matches this spring.

The Polar Bears (4-8-0) couldn’t clear their defensive zone before Claire Bonser made a steal and slipped a pass up the right sideline for fellow freshman Itzabella Meraz. Her pass into the box was redirected by Stefani Gutierrez, and Lilyia Christen dribbled to her right before pivoting to find Coleman uncovered at the top of the goal area.

Coleman’s right-footer from 18 yards away skimmed along the turf and under the diving attempt of North goalkeeper Brisa Medina-Vega for the Bobcats’ go-ahead goal.

“I think for the most part we played more calm with the ball, we didn’t panic and just kinda set it up,” Galema said. “Especially in the last week playing Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday — so we’ve got some tired legs — we talked a lot about controlling the pace ourselves. We need to know when to play fast, when to play slow. It’s not just always go, go, go. It’s not just always sending it down the field.”

Marshalltown’s patience in that particular instance paid off, though there were no more scoring dividends the rest of the match. MHS outshot the Polar Bears 17-6, getting eight shots on goal, but Coleman’s kick was the only one to get past Medina-Vega or reserve keeper Juliana Montalvo.

Montalvo was called upon for the final 49 seconds of the first half after Medina-Vega was whistled for a yellow card after playing the ball with her hands just beyond the box. Bonser’s direct kick was on target, but Montalvo made the stop on the only shot she faced in her brief time in net.

Marshalltown controlled possession in the second half, outshooting North 10-1 after the break, but all four shots on goal by the Bobcats seemed to be directly at Medina-Vega. She finished with six saves, but the Polar Bears were held without a goal for the sixth time this season.

“They have some players who are pretty fast and they’re also a pretty physical team, so just having that understanding of ‘you’re going to have a little bit of both’ and we played through it,” Galema said. “We matched where we needed to as far as the players that were a little bit quicker and we also matched well with the physical players, and we didn’t back down and let them have their space.”

The final outcome marked Marshalltown’s fourth-straight one-goal win over Des Moines North. The previous three were all 3-2 victories.

“Lisa (Grefe) has done a great job with their program,” Galema said of the Polar Bears’ head coach. “They’ve come a long way in building their program and having girls that are pretty skilled with the ball. It’s good to see, it’s good for our conference, and it’s good for soccer.”

The Bobcats go on the road for their next two matches, starting with Friday’s trip to Des Moines East for a 7:30 p.m. showdown at Williams Stadium.