Des Moines North pulls away after halftime to top Lincoln 3-0

Des Moines North broke open an even match with two quick goals in the opening five minutes of the second half and went on to beat Des Moines Lincoln 3-0 on Wednesday night in a conference match at Lincoln High School.

For much of the first half, the teams looked evenly matched. Lincoln stayed organized and created chances, but the breakthrough never came. The Rails also saw a few opportunities hit the post, the kind of near-misses that could have changed the feel of the night if one had dropped.

The match turned immediately after halftime. North struck twice in a short stretch, flipping the game and forcing Lincoln to chase. Goalkeeper Gustavo Carrillo kept the Rails within reach with four saves, and his work helped prevent the deficit from growing even larger as North pressed forward.

Lincoln still generated dangerous moments, especially from Abel Molina-Ordaz, who ripped three shots from just outside the box that missed by inches. In the final 20 minutes, the Rails made one last push and tested North repeatedly, but the visitors' goalkeeper and center backs came up with four consecutive blocks during one sequence near goal. That stand summed up the night for Lincoln, plenty of pressure, plenty of fight, but no finishing touch to spark momentum.

A match that felt balanced early turned rough in the second half, and that short burst after the break proved decisive. Lincoln will look to turn those close chances into goals next time out, because the effort was there, especially in the late surge, even if the scoreboard never moved.

The Rails move to (2-1) and return to action Friday April 10th vs Marshalltown at 7:30.