Dale’s hat trick lifts Saints to title tilt
MUSCATINE - For the eighth year in a row, the Xavier girls soccer team is marching into the state championship game. For the sixth straight year, they will be trying to win it all.
The top-ranked Saints will play Waukee for the Class 2A title Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Muscatine Soccer Complex. They advanced by beating No. 5 Glenwood, 4-0, in Friday's semifinals. Second-ranked Waukee (15-3) beat Pleasant Valley, 2-1, in Friday's other semifinal.
Xavier (18-2) was missing leading scorer Kayla Armstrong, who received a red card in the first round against Independence-East Buchanan. Her fellow forward, junior Annie Dale, stepped up to make up for the lost scoring punch, netting three goals against a Glenwood defense that had only given up three goals all season.
“We knew that someone had to step up because Kayla was out, so my teammates played me some good balls and I just had to finish them,” Dale said.
Xavier Coach Doug Graham said Dale has been doing that for the Saints all season long.
“Annie always is the kind of player that, when you need her, she will be there,” Graham said. “That’s the difference, in my opinion, between good players and great players. She plays well under pressure and when we need her she comes through every single time. I’m so impressed by that girl.”
Nicole Noonan scored the other goal for the Saints, whose four goals all came in the first 45 minutes. There were mass substitutions for much of the second half.
The Saints have been on a tear throughout the postseason, outscoring their opponents 20-0 on their way through regional and state to get to the championship game.
“Come state tournament we have really started connecting well,” said junior Mary Levett. “We just have really great chemistry on the field and everyone has been talking more, which helps. When we settle down and play, two-touch soccer we call it, things seem to go really well.”
Despite its recent streak, Xavier expects to be in a fight for the state title against Waukee.
“Both of those teams are very, very good teams and it is going to be a very tough game, no matter what tomorrow,” Graham said before the other semifinal game had ended.
All three of Waukee's losses came against teams in the Class 3A semifinals (West Des Moines Valley, Iowa City West and Ankeny). The Warriors are led by a strong defense which has tallied 13 shutouts.
Xavier's two losses were to Class 3A state tournament qualifiers Iowa City West and Cedar Rapids Washington.
The Saints are shooting for their sixth straight state championship and Dale said that there is a little bit more pressure knowing that the program has won so many in a row.
“We just have to ignore that fact and just pretend that we’ve never been there,” she said. “We’ve just got to play hard.”
Xavier 4, Glenwood 0
Goals -- Xavier: Annie Dale 3 (9th, 28th, and 46th min), Nicole Noonan (26th min). Assists -- Xavier: Lauren Konchar, Sammi Shepard.
