Linn-Mar, Iowa City Liberty and Cedar Rapids Xavier meet in the state quarterfinals on Tuesday
The Iowa State High School Girls Soccer Championship begins Tuesday with quarterfinal games at Coney Soccer Park in Des Moines. The semifinals are scheduled for Thursday and the final on Saturday.
Here are the three Gazette District girls teams that made it through the qualifiers.
Class 3A
4th place Linmar Lions (16-3) is the Gazette District's lone 3A representative.
Linn-Mar has won 10 straight games and advances to the quarterfinals to face No. 5 West Des Moines Valley (15-3) at 3 p.m. The Tigers defeated the Lions, 1-0, on March 30 in Ankeny.
Linn-Mar's last loss was April 20. It was the Lions' fourth game in four days, and their opponent was Bettendorf, ranked No. 7 in 3A.
Junior forward Abi Roberts is tied for sixth in her class in goals for Linn-Mar with 21. Mackenzie Cheika, Aubrey Luck and Dreya Khan have also been key players with nine goals each.
Riley Bucklin’s 87.9% save percentage is good for eighth in 3A (min. 40 saves).
Class 2A
No.6 Iowa City Liberty (13-4) will be making its first appearance in the state tournament and will face No. 5 Pella (13-4) at 12:45 p.m.
“We're taking it one game at a time,” Liberty coach Frank Fiordellisi said, “We know a little bit about each team, but our focus is on Pella. I think our girls are up for the challenge and the conference and competitive games they've participated in throughout this season have prepared us for this moment.”
Liberty is led by junior Lilynn Breinholt, who is tied for 14th in 2A with 19 goals, while Bella Tafolla and Carrie Stanley both have seven goals this season.
“This is an opportunity to grow soccer at North Liberty and show our young girls that they can still participate in soccer in high school,” Fiordellisi said. “We're going to do everything we can to win. Our girls have a hungry mentality and they've proven that all season.”
Defensively, sophomore Ava Tague was outstanding, recording 72 saves and an 86.7% save percentage, good for sixth in 2A (min. 40 saves).
7th place Cedar Rapids Xavier (9-4) will return to the state tournament for the 19th time after losing in last year's regional final.
Xavier's quarterfinal match will be against No. 4 and two-time defending state champion Dallas Center Grimes (15-3) at 1:15 p.m.
“We're happy with the route we're on,” Saints assistant coach Amina Baloch said, “Every player and every team is considered good at this point, so it's going to be a tough battle no matter what. That being said, we're ready to compete with the best.”
Sophomore Macie Harting was Xavier University's leading scorer with 12 goals. Reese Komenda was next with six goals. Marie Olmstead led the way with six assists.
Junior Lani Kunz is one of the top goalies in the state. Kunz is second in 2A (min. 40 saves) with a save percentage of 90.7% (68 total).
“Our current players have worked so hard to get to where we are today,” Baruch said, “and after missing out on a state tournament last year, it's something we've been hoping for since day one back this season.”
Class 1A
No Gazette Area teams qualified for the Class 1A state tournament.