WAVERLY - Revenge is quite a motivator in any sport and can drive a team to overlook the task at hand.

For the Waverly-Shell Rock girls' soccer team, seeing the Newton Cardinals on the schedule of their annual tournament produced a drive to win the entire thing. The Go-Hawks were true to themselves Saturday, beating the Cardinals in the championship match, 2-0.

Two seasons ago the Cardinals came into the W-SR Soccer Association Complex and dealt the host a shootout loss. It was the last time the Go-Hawks lost on their home turf.

"We were not really looking at (Newton) at first, we were just trying to win each game," senior defender Leslie Wilson said. "When we did get to them, though, all we kept thinking was how they beat us two years ago. It was great getting revenge, but this was just the beginning of the finish we are working for in June."

Wilson's defense produced two shutouts in the tournament, a 7-0 whitewash of Grinnell in the semifinals and the victory over Newton. The Go-Hawks kicked off the day with a 5-2 victory over NU High.

"This was a good day," Go-Hawks coach Scott Schara said with a smile. "We were able to utilize all our players throughout the day and keep them fresh. I think our girls are playing their best right now."

The Go-Hawks have accumulated a 12-0 record to this point and, according to Schara, they still have work to do.

"We knew going against Newton that they were a very physical team," Schara said. "We knew we just had to outwork them like we have done to our opponents all season. Our defense just keeps getting better, and Michelle (Stewart) has been our goalie for three years now and keeps us in a lot of games."

Stewart came up big against Grinnell in the semis, knocking away nine attempts, then continued with her cat-like goalkeeping in the finals by batting away eight more attempts. A crucial save came in the 23rd minute as she turned away a point-blank shot by the Cardinals' Amy Vos to preserve a scoreless match.

"My (teammates are) my other half during the game," the junior keeper explained. "This team communicates so well and we talk a lot to each other during the game. They keep me awake," Stewart said with a smile. "We have played together for a long time and have great chemistry."

"We are a very close group with great chemistry," W-SR's Kayla Benning said. "We have so much confidence in our defense now and beating Newton here was big."

The Go-Hawks picked up their first score by senior Natalie Erhardt, as she reached the top shelf to find the net over the outstretched arms of keeper Jessica Mouchka. W-SR scored again in the second half as Holly Huser picked up a loose ball from a scrum on the right side and drilled it home. Benning had an assist on the score.

NU High rebounded from an early 5-2 loss to W-SR to capture fifth place in Bracket A with a 3-1 victory over Bondurant-Farrar.

"It was a little different going into some of these games blind," NU coach Craig Winger said. "But we will take them since we have only been able to play six games so far."

The Panthers picked up a 2-1 win in a thriller over Mason City in the semifinals.

With the game tied at one goal each, sophomore Jesse Lankford dribbled the ball to the right side of the crease and passed to Taryn Moyer, who found the back of the net.

"I saw Jesse over on the other side of the goal and just called out for the ball," Moyer said. "I was wide open, and she made a nice pass, and I just shot it in. It felt good to get the win."

The Go-Hawks have hosted this event for 10 years, and it has grown into one of the largest tournaments in the state.

"When we started this … we only had four teams in it," Go-Hawks athletic director Dave Litterer said. "We played down by the softball fields, and when we moved out here, we had 12 teams participating. Now we are at 16 teams. It has really grown."

Waverly-Shell Rock has won its own tourney the past two seasons.

Contact Rod Payne at sportsdoor@wcfcourier.com

BRACKET A

First round - Waverly-SR 5, NU High 2; Grinnell 1, Mason City 0; Newton 4, Columbus 1; Decorah 4, Bondurant-Farrar 2

Semifinals - Waverly-SR 7, Grinnell 0; Newton 1, Decorah 0

Championship - Waverly-SR 2, Newton 0

Consolation - NU 2, Mason City 1; B-F 2, Columbus 1

Third place - Decorah 2, Grinnell 1

Fifth place - NU 3, B-F 1

Seventh place - Mason City 4, Columbus 0

BRACKET B

First round - Clear Lake 4, Aplington-Parkersburg 3; Union 5, Webster City 0; Gladbrook-Reinbeck 2, Hudson 0; Denver 9, Western Dubuque 0

Semifinals - Union 7, Clear Lake 0; Denver 3, G-R 0

Championship - Union 3, Denver 2

Consolation - A-P 4, Webster City 2

Third place - G-R 3. Clear Lake 1

Fifth place - A-P 6, Western Dubuque 0

Seventh place - Hudson 1, Webster City 0