Iowa City Liberty advances to state boys’ soccer semifinals

NORTH LIBERTY — Iowa City Liberty boys’ soccer has that look again.

Two years ago, the Lightning surged through the Class 3A state tournament bracket seeded sixth out of eight teams and won their first state championship.

Behind an experienced, relentless goalkeeper who is quite stingy in the net, Liberty is two wins away from matching the heights of the 2023 squad.

“I think they are very similar,” said Liberty senior goalkeeper Conley Sundblad, who will lead the second-seeded Lightning into a 3A state semifinal match against Cedar Rapids Washington on Thursday (2:30 p.m.) at Mediacom Stadium in Des Moines. “I kind of see a lot, what I see in the younger classmen I see in those upperclassmen on that (2023) team. Knowing they are competitive, they want it. I have a strong feeling about this run we are going to make here.”

Sundblad and Liberty (11-5-3) advanced to the state semifinal by outlasting No. 7 Des Moines Hoover Monday’s 3A quarterfinal at Liberty High School, a scoreless stalemate that extended through regulation plus two 10-minute overtime periods, a whopping 100 minutes without a single goal.

“I was just trying to keep my team in it, trying to get to the penalty shootout,” Sundblad said. “Because I know we would have a good chance if we made it there. So that is what I was kind of looking forward to the whole game. Giving the guys a chance.”

When the match moved to a penalty kick shootout to force an outcome, Liberty outscored Hoover, 5-4, as Sundblad saved Hoover’s second attempt while the Lightning converted all five of their chances.

“You’ve got the best goalkeeper in the state in Conley Sundblad,” Liberty Coach Matt Harding said. “We’re confident that he is going to at least save one. … He had to move to get to that, so I’m just happy for that kid. He’s done so much for this program. Happy to see his career continue.”

Sundblad, fellow senior Roman Riggs and junior Finn O’Toole were starters on the 2023 state championship team, while senior Mason Pentecost scored two goals off the bench in that state tournament.

“I would say we were a little bit better then,” Pentecost said. “But all around, everybody is good on the field now and we have got a crazy back subs. There is so much depth on this team. In this heat, we are able to keep going because we were subbing in three or four guys and the intensity stays the same.”

This year, state quarterfinal matches were played on campus instead of a traditional state tournament site. Had Hoover (5-12-2) not forfeited its first eight matches this season due to playing an ineligible player, the Lightning might have been the ones enduring a road trip.

“I’m really impressed by the guys like Mason and (senior) Japhet (Bongo) and Roman and Finn and Conley,” Harding said. “Guys that can kind of pass on the stuff that they have learned in the past to be calm in situations like this. To be able to deal with a phenomenal team. If not for the forfeits, Hoover is the No. 1 seed in our class.”