There’s no statistical categories for saves made by position players, but Marshalltown boys soccer fans know there should be.

Midway through a back-and-forth second half, MHS junior defender Edgar Meraz turned away what would have been Ankeny’s momentous first goal with a heads-up play in the box, helping the Bobcats turn back the Hawks with a 2-0 victory Monday night at Leonard Cole Field.

Protecting a two-goal lead with their backup goalkeeper in net, the Bobcats (7-4-1) did the job they needed to in order to finish off the Hawks (2-6-0).

Djiberson Pierre and Aaron Ordaz Zambrano scored first-half headers to help Marshalltown match its season-high three-game win streak, starting off a three-match week with a motivational victory.

Meraz’s “save” should get some credit.

“It just kind of happens,” he said of the goal-saving deflection. “If they get past me and it goes to the goalie, then my natural instinct is just to go behind the goalie and see if I can get the last touch just in case he goes past the goalie.”

Four minutes after Marshalltown senior goalkeeper Jonathan Nunez went to the bench after getting pushed into the post by an Ankeny player on a corner kick, the Hawks threatened again. Hawks senior Cal Wahlberg beat a pair of Marshalltown defenders and dribbled horizontally across the penalty area.

Meraz, as he mentioned, retreated behind junior keeper Josue Ramos and posted up in front of the net. Wahlberg fired a right-footed rocket that eluded Ramos, but bounded off Meraz and out of bounds.

“‘Rey’ was in the right place at the right time,” said MHS head coach Scott Johannes. “It was a hard shot that nailed him pretty solid.”

Being in the right place at the right time was a side effect of a fast start for the Bobcats. Marshalltown fired off 11 shots in the first half and got two to the back of the net, starting with Pierre’s header off a perfectly-placed corner kick off the foot of Andres Ordaz. Pierre, who subbed into the match just before the corner kick, went to the back post and made the play when it came his way.

The Bobcats converted off another corner kick from Ordaz that Pierre headed down in the box eight minutes after the first one. Pierre’s shot was saved by Jackson Dockendorff, but the rebound squirted away from his grasp. Meraz and Angel Ramirez Cisneros both got off shots that were either saved or hit the crossbar, but Zambrano was the opportunist when the loose ball bounced his way and he headed it home for the 2-0 advantage.

Meraz’s play prevented Ankeny from cutting its deficit in half, but the Bobcats also narrowly missed on chances to double their margin of victory. Ordaz hit the post twice — once in each half — and Angel Gomez was denied on a penalty kick.

Leading 2-0 at the intermission, Marshalltown needed only to finish the match with the lead. Ramos made three saves in his 23 minutes, 37 seconds in net in place of Nunez, who needed to make only two stops before going to the sideline.

The combined clean sheet was a nice way to start a three-match week for Marshalltown, according to Meraz.

“It’s a really good feeling because last year I remember they went to the semifinals at state, so that means we can compete now,” he said. “We’re better than we were last year and I feel like we have a really good chance of making it to state this year.

“It feels honestly really amazing,” he added. “We went through ups and downs through this whole season, and now it just feels like we’re going to keep going up and up.”

The Bobcats are back at home tonight with an Iowa Alliance Conference North Division match against Mason City, and MHS goes to Fort Dodge on Friday.