DES MOINES - The Xavier boys soccer team used a little bit of creativity to overcome Clear Creek Amana, 2-0, in its first round matchup at the state tournament at the Cownie Soccer Complex on Thursday.

With a 1-0 lead early in the second half, the Saints (15-2-1) got a free kick from just outside of the box after a penalty on the Clippers (11-5). They decided to go with a set piece that they had developed at practice during the week.

The play, engineered by junior Chad Gilmer and senior Tim Bouchard, had Bouchard fake a kick and run past the ball and around the Clippers’ wall. Gilmer then ran up on it and tapped the ball over to Bouchard who received behind the defense and beat the keeper going to the opposite post.

“We worked on it all week,” Xavier Coach Amir Hadzic said. “At first the players suggested it, and I thought at first it might be naive a little bit, but after we worked it a couple times we perfected it. There is nothing better than when you work something in practice and it actually goes the way it is supposed to.”

That goal gave the Saints a 2-0 lead and all but put the game out of reach. The suffocating Xavier defense kept the Clippers from mounting any serious scoring threats.

The top-seeded Saints are the defending state champions. They played a tough Clear Creek Amana squad that had not been to the state tournament before, but the game looked fairly even through the opening few minutes.

“The first 10 minutes it was a battle,” Bouchard said. “This was their first time coming to state, they were hyped up, we were hyped up, so it took a little bit to get the jitters out. But we kind of regained our touch.”

As the Saints regained their touch, they started to take over the game, monopolizing the scoring chances and playing tough defense.

The Saints broke the scoreless tie in the 25th minute when Gilmer dribbled across the top of the box and drew the defense before he dropped it off to sophomore Colin Gunn who shot a hard ball on the ground and into the side netting.

Xavier has a lot of players with state tournament experience on its roster after winning all three games in Des Moines last season, but the Saints were still waiting to see who would show up this time around. They got a big boost from their talented sophomore class.

“It is not the best game we have ever played but it is state, it’s always something else,” Hadzic said. “People choke up a little bit and you see who is ready to go and who is not. Our sophomore group that came actually stabilized our game and were big contributors.”

The Saints move on to face fifth-seeded Dubuque Wahlert in Friday's semifinals at 2:30 p.m. It is a rematch of last year’s 2A state championship game won by the Saints, 2-0. Xavier also beat its Mississippi valley Conference foe in the regular season with a 1-0 victory in penalty kicks on April 28 in Dubuque.

“It’s going to be a war, it’s going to be a battle,” Bouchard said. “Every time we play Wahlert it is a battle. Last year in state it was a battle, this year up in Dubuque it was a battle and went to PKs.”

The Saints will be without captain Zach Smith, who was on the sidelines in civilian clothes after he injured his right leg against Iowa City West in the regular season finale. The
Saints were hoping that he would be back for the state tournament, but he couldn’t get healthy in time.

“We just heard the news before state that he will not be able to play,” Hadzic said. “It’s really hard for me to see a player that makes such an impact, a senior who carries this team all season long, not being able to participate. But he is part of the team, he is cheering on his teammates and we have a chip on our shoulder wanting to win for him.”

Xavier 2, Clear Creek Amana 0
Goals – Xavier: Colin Gunn (24th min), Tim Bouchard (42nd min). Assists – Xavier: Chad Gilmer 2.