Nikes find lightning in second half to down Hawks 2-1

DONNELLSON – Heavy lightning in the area almost derailed the Central Lee/Burlington Notre Dame boys soccer game Tuesday, night, but it may have derailed the Hawks' chance of moving over .500 on the year.
After a very, very short lightning delay disrupted the flow the game in the second half at the 17 minute mark, the Nikes took advantage of a reset to catch Central Lee a little flat after the confusion.
Game officials stopped play to check radar after seeing lightning in the western skies over Lee County. After briefly pulling the players off the field, officials allowed play to resume immediately after getting clarification that the lightning was not within 10 miles of the field.
On the restart, Notre Dame got the ball in the box and senior Bobby Wildrick punched one in past Hawks' keeper Hunter Gregory for what turned out to be the game-winning goal, putting the Nikes up 2-0.
Central Lee junior Ayden Kent would score unassisted with 3:35 left in the game to cut the lead to one. Kent almost scored in the first half when a scrum just outside the box kicked a ball loose from Nike keep Taylor Lundgren. Kent got caught up in a three-player tangle and couldn’t get free to track down the ball.
Central Lee had four shots in the first half, the second being a rocket from senior midfielder Landon Crank right up the middle from about 18 feet, but Lundgren took the shot off both hands and again the ball got loose to the left, but there were no Hawks in pursuit to clean up the carom.
Notre Dame got on the board first and early when Gregory got caught just a bit high in the box and Notre Dame’s Seena Nowroozi lifted a shot high over Gregory, just off his fingertips, that bounced into the net for a 1-0 lead at 33:23.
Crank leads the Hawks with five goals on the season on 25 shots on goal. Kent has three goals on 14 shots on goal.
The Hawks fall below .500 at 3-4 overall and 3-4 in the SEI Superconference. They will host Keokuk on Friday either with a 5 p.m. start or a 7 p.m. start if the Lady Hawks’ postponed game with Keokuk is slated to start at 5.