Cedar Valley Christian’s 3-0 soccer victory over Prince of Peace Tuesday pushed its season record to 7-6, keeping Coach Adam Conn hopeful heading into tournament play.

“We should have a decent draw, anyway,” Conn said. “A winnable game, at least.”

“It’s going to be scary, because the state teams are all good,” freshman forward Luke Zasadny said. “It’s scary, playing the big defenders.”

Zasadny’s pass across the front of the goal set up Tom Scroggs’ header for the first goal Tuesday. The crisp move was the Zasadnys’ latest contribution – Luke’s brother John Zasadny is an attacking midfielder and their cousin Joe Zasadny is goalkeeper.

This is just the second Iowa-sanctioned season for the southeast Cedar Rapids school, which has a high school enrollment of about 70.

Luke Zasadny, 15, said he's capitalizing on the rare chance to play organized soccer with his older brother. “I’ve wanted something like this a lot,” he said.

“I’ve been having a lot of fun,” said John Zasadny, 17. “We’re about a half-and-half (.500) season, but as long as you’re having fun ...”

It took some convincing to get freshman Joe Zasadny in goal, but it was worth it, Conn said.

“For someone who’s never played goal before, he’s done just an amazing job,” he said. “It’ll be fun to see his progress."

“At first I had had no intentions of playing goalie at all,” Joe Zasadny wrote in an email. “During practices people were needed to act as keepers so I volunteered to help out with that. All of a sudden I found myself getting really involved and eventually got to like it since it was a position I had never before tried.”

Joe Zasadny, 14, played soccer only sparingly while being schooled at home in Walker by parents Thomas and Sharla Zasadny. Being teammates with his cousins is “pretty awesome, because I have never played with them before,” he wrote. “But at the same time (it’s)  slightly lacking because I don’t actually get to play with them because I am a GK and not a field player.”

John Zasadny said he’s been a soccer player “probably since first grade, a long time.”

Attending East Buchanan High School last year, he played on Independence High School’s soccer team before transferring to CVC. He and his brother make the commute from their home in Independence.

“My parents (Allen and Valerie Zasadny) wanted me to get a Christian education,” he said.

“If he’d been around longer, I’m sure he would have been playing every year,” Conn told CVC parents and supporters during the senior recognition ceremony before the Prince of Peace match. “He’s such a hard-core soccer player.”

The entire CVC team makes a strong argument for its dedication to the sport. This spring’s cool, wet weather kept most practices indoors – Monday’s was “just our fifth practice of the year on grass, with goals,” Conn said.

Outdoor practices are at Grant Wood Elementary School, where errant shots on goal sail into front yards across 26th Street SE. (Home games are at the city’s Tuma Soccer Complex).

Outside of the seven seniors this season, Conn counts just two “really experienced” players.

The team’s four female players – allowable under Iowa High School Athletic Association rules when a school lacks sufficient numbers to field a girls’ team – can more reasonably be counted a sign of soccer’s popularity among all CVC students than any disadvantage.

Conn said the team’s lone senior girl, striker Izzy Hoffman, will play next year for Clarke College in Dubuque.

“She’s been one of our stars,” he said. “She’s just produced some amazing defense at times, stopping progressions.”

Playing as an independent Class 1A team has been easier than previous seasons, when CVC played in the Northern Illinois Christian Conference.

“Our closest (away) games were Clinton and Galena,” Conn recalled. “We had some five-hour trips.”

With the regular season winding down with a closing road game next week at Prince of Peace in Clinton, Conn and his team are looking forward to the postseason.

“This is probably our last game before (tournament) seeding comes out,” he reminded his players before Tuesday’s match. “So get out there and play hard.”

“We’ll try our best and see what happens,” said John Zasadny. “It’s hard for a small squad, but we all try hard, and you go as far as you possibly can.”