If you liked Etienne Nzoyisaba as a distance runner at Cedar Rapids Washington the last few years, you might absolutely love him as a soccer player.

Nzoyisaba quit running on a track this spring and began running on a soccer field, giving the Warriors another potent weapon on a talented club.

Nzoyisaba made the key pass Tuesday night as the Warriors topped Xavier, 1-0, in a fierce Mississippi Valley Conference battle under the lights at Kingston Stadium.

Nzoyisaba made a clever centering pass with about 12 minutes left and Austin Bergstrom used his head to knock the ball into the net before Xavier keeper Paul Cavin had a chance to react.

"It was a perfect pass," said Bergstrom. "I didn't do any work on that one. I just ran into the box and tapped it in. He did everything on that."

Nzoyisaba has been an accomplished distance runner during his career at Washington. He finished eighth in the 1600 meters and ninth in the 3200 meters at the 2012 state track meet as a junior,  and he's placed 11th and 12th at the state cross country meets.

He also loves soccer and grew up playing the sport in Burundi, his native country in Africa, but always ran high school track in the spring instead of kicking a ball around.

Now a senior, he wanted to give soccer a final shot and came out for the team.

"I always loved soccer since I was a little baby," he said. "It's a lot of fun. I love it."

Nzoyisaba has played club soccer in Iowa, and now he's given the Class 3A sixth-ranked Warriors (9-2) an extra weapon.

"I really enjoy having him," said Coach J.P. Graham. "He's always wanted to play. It's great."

Nzoyisaba was injured earlier this season and had trouble getting healthy in cold weather, but he feels good now. He scored both of Washington's goals in a 2-0 victory over West Des Moines Valley on Saturday and has played in six of 11 games.

The Warriors and Saints, who are ranked No.1 in Class 2A, battled all night in another premier conference match.

The winning play began when one of the Saints deflected a shot by Washington's Kimu Kasha. Nzoyisaba retrieved the ball and thought about attempting a shot, but he noticed several players in  front of the net and decided to pass the ball instead.

"I thought Kimu was going to be there," he said, smiling, "but Bergstrom is the tall one."

The lanky Bergstrom sent a perfect header into the right side of the net.

Xavier (5-3) nearly tied the score on a free kick from the 32-yard line by Stephen Jones with 2 1/2 minutes left, but Washington keeper Gunnar Lenzen jumped high and safely deflected the ball over the crossbar.

"It was a tough, hard battle," said Bergstrom. "There was nothing easy about it. We just kept plugging away. We finally got the result we wanted."

Bergstrom, a prep All-American, said he has accepted an offer to join the Ohio State soccer team next year. He'd been leaning in that direction and recently made a final decision.

"I'll be going there next year," he confirmed.

Bergstrom said he will not receive an athletic scholarship as a freshman at OSU, but will be receiving academic grants. He's an outstanding student and musician in addition to being a top athlete in soccer and basketball.