3 things we learned from Gilbert's 5-0 win over Nevada in girls soccer

Hanson did a good job possessing the ball and she also scored Gilbert's second goal of the game on a 15-yard shot 25 minutes into the game.

Raya Mueller (2) netted two goals during Class 2A No. 11 Gilbert's 5-0 win over rival Nevada on April 30 at Gilbert.

Raya Mueller leads Gilbert's offensive charge

Forward Raya Mueller led Gilbert's offensive charge with two goals. It was her first game back after attending an International Career Development Conference in Georgia.

Mueller scored the game's first goal off a nice ball from forward Madisen Powers 14 minutes into the game. She added another score on an open net 6 1/2 minutes into the second half.

More: 10 Ames-area Iowa high school girls soccer players to watch in 2026 season

Platts netted a goal on an impressive shot with 10 minutes left in the first half. Kylie Marquette completed the scoring with a goal 14 minutes into the second half.

It was a statement performance against a program that has made 14 consecutive trips to the state tournament.

"It looks really good for us to beat them by that much," said Mueller. "I think our ranking should be a lot higher. I think it will help if we continue to win games and win by that much."

Nevada goalkeeper Hailey Gruhn (50) saves the ball in front of Gilbert midfielder Rylie Jordison (5) during the first half of the Cubs' 5-0 loss to the Tigers in high school girls soccer at the Gilbert grass soccer field on April 30 in Gilbert, Iowa.

Nevada still putting things together

Nevada is in a rebuilding year.

The Cubs lost three all-state performers in twins Avery and Evelyn Anderson, along with talented midfielder Aubrey Thompson and keeper Bella Tamburo off last year's state tournament team. They also moved up from 1A to 2A this season.

More: Nevada girls soccer striker Alexa Betting hoping to expand her role in 2026

There have been some rough patches as a result. Prior to the loss to Gilbert, the Cubs suffered a 4-0 loss to 2A No. 13 Bondurant-Farrar, a 2-0 setback against 1A No. 7 Colfax-Mingo and an 8-0 loss to 2A No. 9 Adel-Desoto-Minburn.

But there is still time for Nevada's young players to gel. There were some positive signs in the second half against Gilbert, and Gruhn gave a gutsy performance at keeper.

"We play a tough schedule, and we do it on purpose so we can grow," said Nevada co-head coach Justin Evans. "We knew Gilbert was going to be really good — they do what they want to do, and they do it well. Since the ADM game, I do think we've gotten better. We saw some fight out of our kids today."

Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Gilbert tops Nevada in high school girls soccer, 5-0