Armstrong scores real gem in Xavier win over Kennedy

CEDAR RAPIDS - That was quite a rock Kayla Armstrong was toting around after her soccer game Friday night. One beautiful diamond.“It's just the right weight and size,” Armstrong beamed, holding up her hand for everyone to admire.Let's complete the story here before too many eyebrows get raised. Yes, Armstrong, Cedar Rapids Xavier's star striker, was wearing an engagement ring.But it wasn't hers. It belonged to head coach Bailey Dorrington, who recently accepted a marriage proposal from her boyfriend.There's an understanding between coach and player. If Armstrong scores three or more goals in a game, she gets to wear Dorrington's ring for a few minutes.It happened the other night when Armstrong had four goals in a win over Cedar Falls. Then there was Friday night.“I just do my job, and she has it ready for me,” Armstrong said after her gem of a second-half hat trick rallied Xavier to a 4-1 win over Cedar Rapids Kennedy in a matchup of state championship clubs of a year ago.Whatever motivates your best player.Kennedy (7-4) held a 1-0 halftime lead on a beautfiul goal from freshman Sydney Hayden, but it was all Xavier (10-1) the final 40 minutes. Armstrong continually broke free against the Cougars, using her superior skills and athleticism to maneuver past remaining defenders and finish her opportunities.She scored less than seven minutes into the second half and again with 21:24 and 19:02 left.“At halftime, we went over what we needed to cover. All of the seniors said we believed in each other and we believed in the underclassmen,” Armstrong said. “We knew it would be good practice to be down. The pressure of the state tournament and everything. We knew if we played together as a team, we'd come through.”“I just told the girls not to forget the number one goal of the sport is to get to that goal and score,” Dorrington said. “Bottom line, I told them to be a little more direct (in their play). I told them ‘Let's pretend this game is at state, and let's see how you respond.'”They responded very, very well, obviously.Xavier's fourth goal came off a set piece: a corner kick from Sammi Shepard that was headed into the net by midfielder Marissa Berutti. That would be 5-foot-2 Marissa Berutti who went up in a crowd of players and converted.“I just like going to the ball, I guess,” Berutti said. “Jumping up and trying to beat taller people.”Here is video of Berutti's goal: