Xavier girls’ soccer team hopes to have special season

CEDAR RAPIDS — Experience. Chemistry. Depth. Unpredictability. Confidence. Pedigree.

The Class 2A No. 3 Cedar Rapids Xavier girls’ soccer team believes it has all the ingredients needed to make the 2025 season special.

Seven starters and 10 more letterwinners are back from a Saints team that reached the 2A state quarterfinals in 2024.

“Having a lot of returners, it’s really uplifting for the team that we already have that chemistry,” senior Maleigh Olmstead said. “Hopefully, we can take that and get to state again this year.”

Olmstead, a second-team all-state selection a year ago, was the first of three Saints (3-1) to score with a 23rd-minute goal Tuesday in a 3-0 home win over Iowa City High (1-4-2).

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“City High has been a thorn in our side, so I think mentally it’s good for them to see what we’ve been working on is paying off,” Xavier Coach Jacob Johnson said. “This group is an interesting one because there are a lot of pieces clicking at the right time. I’m excited to see how far this group can make a run.”

Junior Reese Komenda netted her first goal of the season, finding an opening on the far side in the 28th minute. In the 44th minute, Olmstead dropped a dime to junior Macie Herting, a first-team all-stater in 2024, who converted for her second goal of the year.

“She’s (Herting) an amazing forward,” Olmstead said. “You can look up and she’ll always be showing up and calling for the ball. It’s great to have that connection.”

Seven different players have scored for the Saints in 2025.

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“It’s an unselfish team, and I think it speaks volumes to know how many different players we can rely on to perform,” Johnson said. “I think that flexibility is something we can lean on later as we play different teams with different tactics.”

Anya Zeutenhorst, Deirdre Green, Grace Bruns and Ciara O’Brien are the others who’ve connected on goals this season.

“It’s great how unpredictable we can be every single game,” Olmstead said.

The lone blemish for Xavier thus far was a 1-0 loss to 2A No. 1 Waverly-Shell Rock (5-0) on April 10.

“I think they gained confidence from the game,” Johnson said. “It was a much closer affair. The one goal scored was a penalty, so I think it helped build the belief that they can compete with any team.”

“We learned that our team is one of the best in the state and we have the ability to beat anyone if we put our mind to it,” Herting said.

Herting and Komenda were members of the Xavier girls’ basketball team that won a state title in February, along with Brooklyn Emerson and Ella Arens.

They’re hoping to bring the championship pedigree to the soccer pitch.

“Everything we learned from Libby (Fandel), we can take as leaders here and teach everyone else on the field,” Komenda said. “Already having that mindset of winning makes us want it even more. We’re ready and we’re not scared.”

That team came to Des Moines as the No. 8 seed in Class 3A’s state basketball tournament bracket.

“We were kind of an underdog there, but we called ourselves the ‘overdogs,’” Herting said. “I don’t think we’re an underdog in soccer this year. If we put our minds to it and give it the energy it needs, I believe this can be a state championship team.”