In a season-opening soccer match delayed twice by lightning, it was Des Moines North that struck first.

After a scoreless first half in which the Marshalltown boys’ soccer team dominated possession, the Polar Bears put up five goals in the second half en route to a 5-2 victory on Monday night at Leonard Cole Field.

The start of the match was delayed 30 minutes due to lightning in the area, and another strike with 16:22 left to play put a damper on the Bobcats’ already dreary second half. The visiting Polar Bears had just put in their second goal before the final lightning delay, and they made it 3-0 not long after the unscheduled intermission.

Marshalltown (0-1) rallied to within 3-2 after back-to-back goals just 78 seconds apart, but yellow cards and costly gambles trying to complete the comeback led to two more North tallies over the final four minutes of the match.

North junior forwards Ramadhani Songwa and Leo Rojas both scored two goals, with Songwa also assisting on both Rojas scores inside the final four minutes of the match.

Marshalltown senior midfielder Aaron Ordaz Zambrano converted a penalty kick at the 72:55 mark after Andres Ordaz was taken down from behind in the box, and Edgar Meraz redirected an Ordaz corner kick just 68 seconds later to make it 3-2.

In trying to turn up the offense, however, the Bobcats got caught on their heels defensively. Long passes into the offensive third for North found their way forward and the Polar Bears pushed back at Marshalltown’s comeback with two late goals for the 5-2 triumph.

“That was a crazy one from beginning to end,” said MHS head coach Scott Johannes. “We knew they were fast and they played the long ball, they always have, but we were pretty sure our skill would overtake them. We just kept missing were not in sync, not playing as a unit.

“Right there at the end we showed we can make a difference, but we’ve just got to play together.”

Unofficially, Marshalltown outshot the Polar Bears 17-16, but North goalkeeper Bryan Ortiz Garcia withstood all eight shots he faced in the first half. The Bobcats peppered the net throughout the opening half of the season thanks to controlled possession, but nothing found its way past Garcia until the mad dash near the end of the match.

In the first minute of the match, MHS junior forward Angel Gomez got behind the defense on a perfect lead pass from Zambrano, but his point-blank opportunity was turned away.

Off the rebound, Marshalltown found another chance as sophomore midfielder Gavin Misek’s left-footed rocket from 25 yards out struck North defender Basimise Kagayo directly in the face.

North countered quickly after the injury timeout as a long ball into the offensive third eluded Marshalltown’s clearing attempt, leaving David Bahati alone for a breakaway. MHS keeper Jonathan Nunez came out to meet the attempt at the top of the box, but the rebound went directly to Songwa. His shot appeared headed for the back of the net until Bobcat senior defender Jesus Maravilla Ordaz made a sliding play to stop it and Meraz cleared it.

Nunez finished with seven saves, while Garcia got 10 stops for the Polar Bears.

The second of five-straight home matches to start the season for Marshalltown is Thursday’s non-conference contest with Newton. The Bobcats entertain Grundy Center/Gladbrook-Reinbeck, South Tama and Des Moines Christian on Saturday in the Bobcat Soccer Invite starting at 9 a.m.