Iowa high school girls’ state soccer 2024: A look at the Gazette area qualifiers

The Iowa high school girls’ state soccer tournament round kicks off Tuesday with the quarterfinal round at Cownie Soccer Park in Des Moines. The semifinals follow on Thursday and the championship games are scheduled for Saturday.

Here is a look at the three Gazette-area girls’ teams that qualified.

Class 3A

The fourth-ranked Linn-Mar Lions (16-3) are the Gazette-area’s lone 3A representative.

Linn-Mar carries a 10-game win streak into the quarterfinals, where it’ll square off against No. 5 West Des Moines Valley (15-3) at 3 p.m. The Tigers beat the Lions 1-0 in Ankeny on March 30.

April 20 was the last time Linn-Mar lost a match. It was the Lions’ fourth game in four days, against 3A No. 7 No. Bettendorf.

Junior forward Abi Roberts leads Linn-Mar in goals scored with 21 — tied for sixth in the class. MacKenzie Cejka, Aubrey Luck and Dreya Kern are also key contributors with nine goals apiece.

Rylie Bucklin’s 87.9 save percentage is good for eighth in 3A (minimum 40 saves).

Class 2A

Sixth-ranked Iowa City Liberty (13-4) make its first appearance at the state tournament and will battle No. 5 Pella (13-4) at 12:45 p.m.

“We are taking it one game at a time,” Liberty Coach Frank Fiordellisi said. “We know a little bit on each team there, but we have focused our attention on Pella. I think our girls are up for the challenge and our conference and competitive games we’ve been in throughout the season have prepared us for this moment.”

Liberty is led by junior Rilyn Breinholt, who’s tied for 14 th in 2A with 19 goals. Bella Tafolla and Callie Stanley both have seven goals this season.

“This is an opportunity to grow the game in North Liberty and show younger girls that they can be a part of this when they are in high school,” Fiordellisi said. “We are going to give everything we have to win. Our girls are hungry and have proven that throughout the season.”

Defensively, sophomore Ava Tague has been superb, recording 72 saves and an 86.7 save percentage, good for sixth in 2A (minimum 40 saves).

No. 7 Cedar Rapids Xavier (9-4) is back at state for the 19th time after being knocked out in the regional finals last year.

Xavier’s quarterfinal draw is fourth-ranked, two-time defending state champion Dallas Center-Grimes (15-3) at 1:15 p.m.

“We like our route,” Saints assistant coach Aminah Baloch said. “Every single player and team are considered good at this point, so it will be tough no matter what. That being said, we are ready to compete along with the best.”

Sophomore Macie Herting is Xavier’s leading scorer with 12 goals — Reese Komenda is next with six. Maleigh Olmstead is tops with six assists.

Junior Lani Kunz is among the top keepers in the state. Kunz is second in 2A (minimum 40 saves) with a 90.7 save percentage (68 total).

“This current group of players has worked hard to get to where they are today,” Baloch said. “They missed out on the state tournament last year and it’s something they have wanted since our first day back this season.”

Class 1A

No Gazette-area teams qualified for the state tournament in Class 1A.

Recommended Reading

Girls’ state soccer: Brackets, schedule for all 3 classes