In her first game back after missing the last four contests with severe bone bruises on her knee, Cedar Rapids Jefferson freshman Katie Ives was involved in all three goals Wednesday night as the J-Hawks blanked Iowa City High, 3-0, in the Class 3A regional semifinals at Kingston Stadium.

Jefferson (12-6) will meet No.3 Iowa City West (16-2) in the regional finals Monday at 5 p.m. at Northwest Junior High School in Coralville for a berth in the state tournament.

The J-Hawks led West 1-0 with two minutes left in regulation in the last game of the regular season but fell 2-1 in overtime.

Jefferson Coach Ash Brannan said having Ives in the lineup again will be a big boost with a trip to the state tournament on the line. “I’ve coached Katie since she was nine years old,” he said. “She’s just a very solid player.”

Following a scoreless first half Wednesday, Ives started the scoring by hooking a penalty kick from the far left side just past the Little Hawks goalkeeper with 17:43 left in the second period. “It sort of went from right to left,” she said, “and just bended in.”

Jefferson missed a pair of opportunities shortly after when two seemingly sure goals were blocked by the City High keeper. But with 10:34 left, Ives kicked another line-drive penalty shot that the keeper tipped into the net.

Five minutes later, J-Hawk freshman Rachel Neeley scored with an assist from Ives to complete the shutout.

Even though she was playing in pain, the spunky Ives said there was never a question about her taking the field for the regionals. “There’s no way I was sitting out,” she said. “We want to go to state. My knee will just have to heal itself.”

Brannan said he was disappointed that his girls were unable to score in the first half. “We had a lot of chances,” he said. “We just couldn’t finish.

“We pretty much controlled the whole game. And in the second half, we started attacking more and playing with a lot more intensity.”

He credited Alexis Brannan (his freshman daughter) and senior co-captain Trina Gallagher with controlling the ball. Fellow senior co-captain Riley Kesterson said the defense was strong the whole night, limiting the Little Hawks to just a handful of shots on goal.

“We especially picked it up in the second half,” she said.

The same kind of effort, Kesterson noted, will be needed Monday to hold the potent Women of Troy in check. “But,” she said, “we’re confident.”