Des Moines Hoover got the first goal, but the Bobcats got the rest.

Andres Ordaz scored the tying goal and assisted on the go-ahead score as the Marshalltown boys’ soccer team tallied three unanswered goals in a 3-1 triumph over the Huskies on Tuesday night at Leonard Cole Field.

Aaron Ordaz Zambrano assisted on the first and was credited with the second, whether or not he redirected the ball into the net. Going hard with great effort into the play earned him the position to force Hoover (4-2-0) to surrender the go-ahead goal, and the Bobcats (4-2-1) added some insurance before the final buzzer sounded.

“To be honest, we haven’t really worked on set pieces like that, but I feel like if you hustle for the ball, it’s gonna make its way into the goal,” Zambrano said. “It doesn’t matter how it goes in as long as it goes in.”

After the Huskies were handed a yellow card for a tackle from behind about 30 yards away from the net, Ordaz sent a well-placed ball into the box off the free kick and Zambrano worked his way into the path against two defenders.

All three players leapt into the air, and when they came down, the ball was bouncing into the back of the net.

That go-ahead goal came less than three minutes into the second half, sending Marshalltown’s message from seasons past.

“It means a lot,” Zambrano said. “Last year it was a tough game against them. I feel like there was some wrong calls, but we can’t change that. This year we proved that we were the better team.”

Hoover had won the last five matches against Marshalltown, even though last year’s 3-2 Huskies triumph was eventually vacated due to the use of ineligible player.

Tuesday’s three-goal game for the Bobcats matched the total offense for the team in those previous five bouts.

Ordaz got the Bobcats on the board to draw even in the first half, making a run and taking a shot from the top of the box off a pass from Zambrano.

It helped MHS match the icebreaker Hoover scored in the 25th minute, when a corner kick fell to Dunia Unduelu’s feet and his shot on net was redirected past goalkeeper Jonathan Nunez and into the net.

Ordaz got the matching tally with 4:42 left in the first half, and Zambrano made it 2-1 less than three minutes out of the locker room.

Angel Gomez scored into a defenseless net with 21 minutes, 29 seconds remaining, and Marshalltown played keep-away the rest of the night against a Hoover team averaging eight goals per game over its last four matches.

“They seem to have gotten us several times, but we always play them tough,” said MHS head coach Scott Johannes. “They’re always fast. They’ve got good players in special spots, but we’ve got good across the board. So when we can play our game, I felt like tonight from opening whistle to the end we really did a good job of controlling the tempo.”

Hoover outshot the Bobcats 18-14, unofficially, as the final 21 minutes of the second half turned into a fast-break bonanza. Both teams attacked before the other countered, and Marshalltown finally made it a two-goal game on a deft finish from Gomez.

Aidan Bell played a long ball into the offensive third and Hoover netminder Josh Bohlender came out beyond the penalty area to play it. Without the use of his hands, he shouldered the ball right to Armando Estrada, whose one-timer was saved by Bohlander’s diving effort.

The rebound rolled toward the front of the net, where Gomez only had to beat defender Ombewambapole Simbi with a firm shot on frame.

Nunez finished with six saves while Bohlander had four stops for the visiting Huskies, who hadn’t lost since a 1-0 setback against Waukee Northwest in their season opener.

“We’ve learned that we’re a top team and it’s ultimately our mistakes that result in us losing or tying the game,” Zambrano said. “This win was good, especially because we have to tough opponents coming up.”

The Bobcats visit Ames on Thursday and West Des Moines Valley on Friday.