Howland’s Megan Long finds home in Iowa

By John Kovach

She’s playing soccer at Iowa State while her parents have relocated nearby.

Soccer ace Megan Long from Howland High is following a long line of family members to Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

And Long’s parents, originally from Iowa before relocating to Howland 23 years ago to work for Delphi, have followed their daughter back to their native state.

Long, a talented 6-foot defender and first-team All-State selection for Howland last season as a senior, has a full soccer scholarship to Iowa State, where at least 10 of her family members made their collegiate home.

Going before her were parents Dwight and Lynn Long, grandfather Ray Long, uncle Andy Long, cousin Rusty Gibbs and numerous other relatives. Dwight played baseball for the Cyclones while Ray was on the track team and Gibbs on the football squad.

Megan’s parents, who returned to Iowa after losing their jobs at Delphi, have made their new home in Johnston, Iowa. Originally, Lynn lived in Newton, Iowa, and Dwight in Melbourne, Iowa, before they enrolled at Iowa State.

Megan is elated that her parents will be living close to her so they can see her play.

“They will see all of the home games and then some of the away games if they are not too much of a drive,” Megan said. “They are very supportive. It’s so nice to have them here. And I have a cheering section at home games because whole family comes.”

Megan said that her parents met at Iowa State.

“They both were in the Greek system and met at a sorority-fraternity event,” said Megan, noting that her father realized a mathematically-interesting aspect of his change of home.

“My dad said that he was 23 when he left Iowa and [then] double that, 46, when he came back to Iowa.”

Long has earned a starting berth for Iowa State and made her collegiate soccer debut on Aug. 21, as the Cyclones opened the season with a 0-0 double-overtime tie against Creighton on the road in Omaha, Neb.

Since then. in a pair of home games at the ISU Soccer Complex, Iowa State had another tie in double overtime against South Dakota State on Aug. 28, 1-1 followed by a 2-0 win over Montana.

Long has started all three games at the center-back position, and has embarked on a learning process on how to become an effective college player.

She is an important rookie part of a veteran team under second-year coach Wendy Dillinger, which returns 13 letter-winners and nine starters from last season’s team.

The Cyclones are trying to bounce back from a 5-12-2 record last year, including 0-8-2 in the Big 12 Conference.

“I started all three games. I did pretty well,” she said. “It is a big jump from what I am used to.

“I have gone through all the training and I am making the transition,” said Long, noting that she plays mainly defense.

“I play center-back. I am the last chance [at saving] the goalie from getting a shot. It is a tough role but awesome when you can stop the ball.”

She said her offense is limited.

“I don’t get to shoot too much but I am in position to shoot during an offensive free kick and a corner kick and then there is a possibility I can shoot,” pointed out Long, who is majoring in kinesiology.

While at Howland High under coach Pat Hovance, Long won four soccer letters and made first-team All-State and All-Region and was the district player of the year.

Hovance said Long is a special player with many skills.

“She was our best technical player,” Hovance said. “She played soccer since she was 5 or 6 at the club level, similar to Ashley Cuba from Mooney. They took the same route playing club soccer.”

Cuba is a freshman starter at Pitt. She and Long are friends and former club teammates.

“We were on the same club teams the past two or three years. She is a great girl, a really good player,” Long said.

Hovance called Long “the whole package. She is a fantastic leader, a 4.0 student, and played on the basketball team that had a perfect 20-0 record last year, and she ran track on the schhol record 4x800 relay team.”

kovach@vindy.com