Unbeaten Dallas Center-Grimes stops Xavier in girls’ state soccer semifinals

DES MOINES — There’s a reason no girls’ soccer team has managed to beat Dallas Center-Grimes this season. So many reasons, actually.

“It’s a big part of why we’re the No. 1 team, is because we have so many good players that can play so many different places,” DCG junior midfielder Caroline White said. “I think that’s why we’ve been so successful this year.”

A substitute with one goal all season, White scored twice Thursday at Cownie Soccer Park to break a halftime tie with No. 5 Cedar Rapids Xavier and send the top-ranked Mustangs to the Class 2A state title game with a 3-1 win.

“I felt on fire,” White said. “It was awesome and I’m really excited to be going to the championship.”

» Photos: Cedar Rapids Xavier vs. Dallas Center-Grimes in girls’ state soccer semifinals

The Saints (13-4) did hand DCG a rare deficit in this semifinal contest. Mary Kate Moeder squeezed through a pair of defenders in the box after a throw-in and followed up an initial blocked shot with a goal for a fifth-minute lead.

Keeping the 100-goal Mustangs quiet always was going to be tough, though. Kylie Knief produced a 19th-minute equalizer with a solo run through midfield and a dipping shot that laced the net under the crossbar.

White gave DCG the lead almost eight minutes into the second half, lofting a shot from the left side of the box up and over Xavier goalkeeper Alena Kunz. Less than five minutes later, Minnesota State signee Avery Korsching delivered a perfectly-weighted cross to the back post, where White was running to tap it in.

“I can’t fault the girls, their effort,” Xavier Coach Chris Higgins said. “They stuck to the game plan as much as they can, but that team is 21-0 for a reason, right? They’ve got a lot of offensive weapons.

“We gave them a lot of problems, we just switched off and we fatigued at times and made just little mental errors at the wrong times. We still kept battling. They’re a really good team, but I was proud of how the girls gave it everything they’ve got.”

DCG peppered 20 shots, but Xavier had 14 of its own. After the opening goal, the DCG back line didn’t allow the Saints quite enough space to make those attempts more threatening.

“We probably didn’t make their keeper work as much as we should have at times, but I thought we defended really well,” Higgins said.

Dallas Center-Grimes will get a championship rematch against No. 2 Waverly-Shell Rock (18-1), the defending champion. The Go-Hawks beat Norwalk, 1-0, in Thursday’s other semifinal.

Xavier graduates 12 seniors, including eight starters, and will have a new coach next season with Higgins set to join the North Dakota State staff. They were part of a state championship team in 2019 and took W-SR to overtime in last year’s quarterfinals. This was the program’s 13th state semifinal appearance.

“They’re a fantastic group,” Higgins said. “They gave everything.”

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