Xavier Girls Soccer

Saints begin historic journey with squeaker

MUSCATINE - The Xavier Saints, trying to make history at the girls state soccer tournament this week, battled two opponents at the Muscatine Complex on Thursday.

They battled a slight case of jitters as they seek their seventh state title in a row. And they battled a team from ADM/Van Meter that didn't realize it was overmatched.

The Saints managed to conquer both.

Marinna Shroud and Kayla Armstrong scored goals as the No. 1 Saints trimmed No. 10 ADM/Van Meter, 2-1, in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A tournament on a hot, sunny day.

Xavier (16-2) will face Sioux City East (18-1) in the semifinals Friday at 4:30 p.m. on Field 3.

The Saints are striving to become the only program in the history of Iowa girls sports to win seven straight titles in any sport. Cedar Falls won six straight swimming titles (1993-98), Bettendorf won six straight tennis titles (1995-2000) and Dubuque Wahlert won six straight volleyball titles (2000-2005), but nobody has ever won seven straight in any sport.

There's a lot at stake for Xavier, so it's no wonder the Saints had the jitters.

Annie Dale, one of Xavier's captains and a veteran of three state championship clubs, felt them before Thursday's game.

"It's been a different feeling going into the state tournament each time," she said. "I'm a little more nervous, but being a senior I know I need to lead the team, so I can't really act nervous. I just have to be ready to go."

Armstrong, who netted her 30th goal of the season, also felt the jitters. "It's always nervous coming into state," she said. "There's always high expectations for everybody."

This year, the expectations may be higher than ever.

Armstrong knocked in a shot with her left foot for a 1-0 lead with 16:13 left in the first half. "Finally," said Coach Doug Graham, frustrated the Saints had dominated play but had nothing on the board until then.

Marinna Shroud blasted in a shot from in front of the goal with 9:57 left in the first half with an assist from Monica Busse and the Saints appeared on their way to an easy victory, but they didn't score again in the final 49 minutes.

There wasn't much to worry about until ADM freshman Emily Hoffmann scored on a breakaway with 14:50 left in the game to pull the Tigers within 2-1 with plenty of time remaining. Hoffmann's goal put the Saints in jeopardy, but they safely rode out the match.

Armstrong had several good opportunities to give Xavier a safer lead, but missed by a smidgen each time. A couple of her near-misses clanged off the crossbar.

"It's always frustrating when it seems like the bar is the biggest part of the goal," she said. "But tomorrow, hopefully, it will fall in and I've got all the bar-shots out of the way."

Graham thought the Saints should have had several more goals.

"Absolutely," he said. "We could have had a dozen. Their goal keeper (Mallory Schultze) played tremendously. Made some fantastic saves."

Sara Chicchelly got the victory in goal for the Saints.

Graham said he's scouted Sioux City East and has an inkling what to expect in the semifinals. "Good team, strong team," he said.

Glenwood (18-1) will play North Scott (11-9) in the other Class 2A semifinal Friday. The championship match is scheduled for Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Saints aiming for lucky 7th soccer title

The Xavier girls soccer team began its remarkable string of six state titles in a row in 2006 when Kayla Armstrong was in the fifth grade.

They don't see any reason to stop now.

Armstrong scored two goals Monday as the top-ranked Saints blanked Prairie, 4-0, in the Class 2A regional finals at Xavier to claim yet another berth at state.

Xavier (15-2) will face 10th-ranked ADM/Van Meter in the quarterfinals of the state tournament Thursday at 2:45 p.m. on Field 6 at the Muscatine Soccer Complex.

Armstrong was a fifth grader in the Linn-Mar school system when Xavier High School began its streak. She was a young girl at the time, but followed soccer closely and knew all about the Saints and their impressive record of success.

"I was always aware," she said. "I always watched soccer, so it made me want to come here just to be part of the legacy."

Xavier won state titles in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. They'll go for their seventh straight this week, and needless to say, the Saints (15-2) are not merely happy to be making the trip.

"No, we want it all," said Armstrong, a junior. "That's the goal."

Armstrong, blessed with great speed and quickness, ranks among the state leaders with 29 goals in 17 games.

"She is a very gifted player," said Xavier Coach Doug Graham. "She's quick, she's fast, has great vision, knows how to manipulate and move around. And she is really pretty fast."

Armstrong appears fast enough to be a top sprinter for the Xavier track team, but she plays basketball and then gets ready for soccer. Track doesn't fit into her schedule.

"This is a big commitment to Xavier soccer, so I don't have time," she said.

Armstrong gave the Saints a 3-0 lead with a shot into the right corner with 8:27 left in the game on an assist from Monica Busse, then finished the scoring with 2:30 remaining after a shot by Lauren Konchar banged off the crossbar.

The victory was fairly well assured for the Saints before Armstrong collected her two goals.

Senior Annie Dale pointed Xavier in the right direction when she scored an unassisted goal with less than two minutes gone in the game. Busse made it 2-0 with 20:06 left in the first half with an assist from Marissa Berutti.

Sara Chicchelly had a fairly easy day in goal for the Saints and had to make only four saves. Freshman Hannah Kousheh had two scoring chances for Prairie (13-6) on breakaways in the second half, but could not connect.

Xavier is returning to the state tournament with a big target on its back, but Graham will continue to preach his same mantra about effort and attitude.

"We work to give 100 percent of those two things every game, and hopefully the results will come with that," he said. "Winning is always a bonus to the work ethic, to the attitude and to working as a team. Today was a very nice game."

Monday's game featured two "flip throws" by Xavier sophomore Holly Hazelton, a former gymnast who did a complete 360-degree flip before throwing the ball a long distance on in-bounds plays. The remarkable maneuver led to a pair of goals.

"In my very best state, when I was a young man, I could throw a ball a long way," said Graham. "It was only about half of what Holly can throw it. She does a great flip."

Graham called her Holly "Flip Throw" Hazelton.

"I taught it to myself a year ago," said Hazelton, who has used the maneuver only a few times in games. "I kind of wanted it to be a surprise for Prairie."

Martin makes triumphant return for Saints

The last time Xavier junior Lucy Martin played a soccer game, her dad, Dennis, carried her off the field while her mom, Pam started the family car to drive her to the hospital.

Midway through the second half of the season opener April 3 against Prairie, the starting middle fielder landed wrong on her left foot during a tussle for the ball and tore a ligament in her knee.

It was feared she would be lost for the season to a team that was depending on her defensive skills to defend the Class 2A state title it has won six years in a row.

Martin returned to the lineup for the first time Tuesday in a Class 2A regional semifinal with Marion. And she showed that she’s not only back to full speed, but she may be better than ever.

Switched to forward for the night by Coach Doug Graham to give her plenty of action with less risk of injury, she scored three goals in the Saints’ abbreviated 10-0 romp over the woefully overmatched Indians at the Xavier field.

She said it’s the first time she’s been in a scorer’s position since she was a little kid in club soccer.

“It just felt great to be playing again,” she said. “I was hoping I’d be able to help the team get back to state.

“They’ve been doing fine without me. And all of my teammates have been so supportive in helping me come back.”

Fellow junior Kayla Anderson, who scored four goals of her own Monday in the lopsided victory, said it was good to see Martin at full strength.

“We’re really happy to have her back for the rest of the season," Anderson said. "All year our whole team has really dedicated themselves to helping each other and pushing each other to get to where we want to be. It’s been a team effort.”

Martin said her injury, though serious, did not require surgery. “It was self-healing,” she said, “with a lot of physical therapy.”

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Solid seniors lead Xavier's quest for 7th title

They’ve never lost a state tournament game.

For the five seniors on Xavier’s Class 2A No. 1-ranked girls soccer team, it’s a source of tremendous pride – and undeniable pressure.

“We have an advantage because we’ve been there three times already,” said Saints co-captain Annie Dale, who was named first team all-state and captain of the all-tournament team after Xavier secured its sixth consecutive title last year.

“It’s a disadvantage because it’s so much pressure to have six state championships on the line. You don’t want to be the team to lose.”

Co-captain Mary Levett, the heart of the Saints’ defense, concurred. “It helps a little because other teams look at us and there’s a little intimidation, but there’s always that pressure too.”

Coach Doug Graham said people underestimate the challenges faced by a team with Xavier’s recent legacy.

“We’re always expected to do well, but we lose players every year and have to reset just like other teams," Graham said. "Everybody comes to beat us. It’s difficult getting to the top, but it’s harder to stay there.”

He credited his seniors, each in her own way, with setting the tone on and off the pitch for this year’s 13-2 (11-2 MVC) season.

“Mary Levett is an incredible defender and captain, and she tirelessly works on and off the field. Annie is a natural talent and an exciting player. She’s very instinctive and does some wonderful things with the soccer ball," Graham said.

"Lauren Konchar will give you jaw-dropping moments, being able to hit a ball from an impossible distance and impossible place. Katelyn Winker is in a lot of ways the motivator, the heart and smile of the team, always pumping up her teammates. Katie Morrisey has a tremendous work ethic and is a great teammate.”

All five have scored goals this season, collectively tallying 25 goals and 16 assists, led by Dale’s 11 goals and seven assists. Her production is second only to junior standout Kayla Armstrong.

Just as important, they have cultivated the focused, no-fuss attitude that has carried the Saints through their impressive season.

“We emphasize team chemistry,” Dale said. “We don’t need drama on our team, and the seniors try to lead in a way that there will be no negativity. We all just get along.

"I know that when it comes to state, we’re going to have to take the team on our shoulders – because it’s a whole different feel there – and let them know we’re here for them.”

Dale, who was named Xavier Athlete of the Year along with football and track star Jordan Weber, also played point guard for the Saints basketball team that went to the 4A quarterfinals this past winter. She loves both sports, she said, but will take her soccer savvy to UNI next year.

She praises Graham and assistant coach Rocki Shepard for helping her become better prepared for college – as an athlete and a person – and remolding a Saints team that lost significant talent to graduation last year.

“It’s not going to be as easy this year (at state) because we have a lot of inexperienced people and we lost our goalie,” Dale said. “Our coaches have done a great job of getting us prepared and getting us to step up.”

Graham said the team has clearly lived up to its mantra:

“We have to be responsible to give our best whenever we’re on the field. If we give our best, the score is immaterial," he said. "That’s what we do. We try our best and we work not for ourselves but for each other.”

For the underclassmen, making sure the seniors go out on top is a powerful incentive for the state tournament run.

“The seniors have really carried us through the season,” Armstrong said. “All of us are trying to get the seniors one more game so their last game isn’t a loss.”

Graham admitted that getting ready to say farewell to his seniors evokes emotions similar to those he felt when he watched his own daughter graduate and go off to college a couple of years ago.

“I’ve learned as much from them as they have from me,” he said. “We hold ourselves to a high standard. We encourage and promote each other.

"The game of soccer is a vehicle for education and life – overcoming adversity, doing our best – and we do it collectively as a team.”