Washington gets revenge against Xavier in all-Cedar Rapids boys’ state soccer quarterfinal

DES MOINES — Cedar Rapids Washington wanted to prove it is a better team than the first time it faced Cedar Rapids Xavier this season.

The No. 9-ranked Warriors did just that in 2-0 win over the fifth-rated Saints Wednesday in a Class 3A Iowa high school boys’ state soccer tournament quarterfinal game at Cownie Soccer Park.

Wednesday’s win avenged the 3-1 loss Washington (12-7) suffered to Xavier (10-6) on April 17.

“It’s nice to avenge it because it was a similar type of game where we were getting chances and we were just not scoring,” Washington Coach JP Graham said. “They’re (Xavier) really dangerous on those set plays when we make frustration fouls and they’re putting the ball in the box. That’s how they score against us.

“This time, our defense held up stronger. We made a few changes and had our goalkeeper back this time. I’m proud of our defense.”

Washington’s Jacob Klein broke a scoreless contest with a goal in the 55th minute on a beautiful pass from Mwena Tambwe.

“Mwena did really well today,” Graham said. “We switched Holden (Smith) and him in the second half and he set the other guys up, so it was a great job by him.”

Smith moved from striker to the left wing in the second half; Tambwe moved from right wing to striker. The adjustment proved effective as Tambwe assisted a Smith goal with 16:35 left in the game.

“He’s (Tambwe) super crisp with the ball,” Smith said. “He can go any way, so it feels safe to give him the ball.”

“I know he’s (Smith) a good striker,” Tambwe said. “I know he can shoot. So I tried to find him many times.”

It was the second straight shutout for the Warriors after they blanked No. 3 Adel ADM, 4-0 in the substate finals.

“Watching film was a big part of it,” Washington keeper Aiden Erickson said. “We were doing a really good job keeping it out of the box, keeping the ball down on their end and putting pressure on the back end.”

This was Xavier’s 21st state tournament appearance.

“We knew it was going to be tough — JP, it’s well-deserved for them,” Xavier Coach Sho Takaoka said. “For us, we had chances in the second half, but if you don’t capitalize on those goals, you get punished.

“I want to thank our seniors. Next year, we will have most of our starters back. We’re hoping to get better as a team.”

Next up for Washington, in its 12th state tournament appearance and first since 2019, is a semifinal match at 1 p.m. Friday against Dallas Center-Grimes at Drake Stadium. The Mustangs handled Storm Lake, 8-1, Wednesday.

“People are excited about us,” Graham said. “They’re really excited to watch us and see how we play. That’s my goal is to create exciting soccer.”

Marion falls to Norwalk

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Eighth-ranked Marion gave Norwalk all it had.

Ultimately, it wasn’t quite enough.

The sixth-ranked Warriors defeated the Wolves, 2-0, in state quarterfinal action.

Both of Norwalk’s goals came in the first half. Tyden Eng scored in the 10th minute and Caden Endres in 18th. The Warriors (12-8) move on to face second-ranked Des Moines Hoover (17-2) — a 2-0 winner over Indianola — in Friday’s semifinals.

“I’m just proud of them,” Marion (14-5) Coach Kory Boebel said of his players. “They gave it their all and they did the best that they could. You know, it stinks that we lose, but I don’t think it should overshadow the heck of a season that they had.”

This was Marion’s sixth appearance at the state tournament. Boebel has taken the program to Des Moines four of his five seasons as head coach.

The Wolves were also Wamac champions with a 10-1 conference record.

“I’m just absolutely blessed year after year with the students and the support from the community,” Boebel said. “These players work their tails off in school and on the practice field I just couldn’t be more proud of them and to be back here (at state).”