The fifth-ranked Washington boys soccer team has had quite the flair for the dramatic in the substate tournament.

The Warriors took a scoreless tie into the final 10 minutes of regulation again in the Class 3A substate final, and again the Warriors used some late offense to get the win. Washington (16-3) advanced to the state tournament with a 2-0 victory over No. 13 Waterloo West (11-9) Saturday at Kingston Stadium.

“I think the kids wanted me to turn gray quick,” Washington Coach J.P. Graham joked after the game. “Waiting for the kids to score these last couple games is killing me.”

The Warriors finally gave their coach a reason to relax a little bit in the 73rd minute when the Waterloo West keeper fouled Kimu Kasha in the box and sophomore Austin Bergstrom took the penalty kick.

“We have had Austin take the last three or four and he has been solid every time,” Graham said. “He is left footed and that throws some keepers off, and he has probably got the best touch on the team. He is confident right now and you go with whoever feels good.”

The decision paid off as Bergstrom calmly knocked the ball past the keeper, giving the Warriors the lead.

“I was just trying to stay calm and not get too freaked out about it, but I kept my composure. I had taken a few before, so I just went with what I’ve done,” Bergstrom said.

The Warriors got an insurance goal in the 78th minute when sophomore Jack Sundermann took the ball deep into the penalty box and was able to kick it around a charging keeper for the 2-0 lead.

Washington beat Waterloo West 2-1 during the regular season, so the Warriors knew they were in for a tough game.

“Last time we played them they fought, and they got up on us early,” said senior captain Brandon Besong. “This game, we got lucky a couple times. They just came out and played hard. They took it to us for a part of that game. Everybody came up big on their team too, it was just unlucky they didn’t get the win.”

Washington’s senior class has now qualified for state in three out four years. Although the Warriors are led by their strong senior class, Besong said the underclassmen have played a key role for the Warriors down the stretch.

“Everybody has been stepping up,” Besong said. “Jack Sundermann has done a great job, Austin Bergstrom has done a great job, Kimu Kasha has done a great job. We are just having a lot of younger kids step up and put the ball in the net.”

Fourth-seeded Washington will kick off it’s run for a state title on June 2 at 5 pm at the Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines. The Warriors play No. 5 seed Bettendorf (14-3-2). The teams did not meet in the regular season.

Washington 2, Waterloo West 0
Goals -- Washington: Austin Bergstrom (73rd min) and Jack Sundermann (78th min). Assist -- Washington: Kimu Kasha