Cedar Rapids Xavier falls to 3-time defending champ in hard-fought semifinal

AMES — High-quality soccer. Invaluable experience.

In a physical battle between two of the top defenses in Class 2A, three-time defending state champion Dallas Center-Grimes (14-4-1) found just enough of an offensive edge.

The second-ranked Mustangs scored two second-half goals to defeat No. 2 Cedar Rapids Xavier, 2-0, in the girls’ state soccer state semifinals Thursday at Lied Recreation Fields in Ames.

“I’m very proud of the girls — they battled the whole game,” Xavier Coach Jacob Johnson said. “DCG is a great team, and I think we went toe-to-toe with them, so a lot of confidence to be gained.

“And thank you to the leaders we had, especially a pretty large senior class and some senior captains. I thought they did a great job of helping our team achieve the goals that we had set out for.”

Entering the contest, the Saints (8-4-4) had allowed just 12 goals in 2025, good for seventh-best in 2A.

The Mustangs were fifth, allowing just nine.

Both teams battled for more than 50 minutes of scoreless soccer before Landry Glasgow found the net through a sea of Saints defenders with 29:26 remaining.

“Big games, big moments, lots at stake … the physicality part of it was there and I think we did a good job all year for mentally preparing to play more physical,” Johnson said. “I thought they battled a lot better this year than they maybe had in previous years — even being OK with sometimes giving up fouls.

“Playing with that edge, I thought the group did a good job of not leaving anything in the tank playing physical soccer — they left it on the field.”

Paisley Heidgerken added an insurance goal on a contested shot with 24:16 to play.

“It was a great game of soccer, very open,” Johnson said. “Putting on quality performances and showcasing the talent of Iowa soccer on the girls' side is fantastic. So it was a great game to watch, I'm sure.

“For the players, this is an awesome opportunity for them to learn a lot from the game. And hopefully that's what the state tournament is about — getting the best within the state to compete with the growth of the game in mind.”

This season marked Xavier’s 19th state tournament appearance and second straight.

“We're kind of quietly building on the successes of previous years, and we're still going up,” Johnson said. “It's an awesome team and they started to play like a team a couple years ago. That leads to successful moments.

“It’s a fantastic group to work with. A lot of fun.”

Thursday’s match was an inverse of the Saints’ quarterfinal contest — a 10-0 win over No. 9 Bondurant-Farrar. It was Xavier’s first state tournament victory since 2022.

“Even getting to play in the state tournament is a privilege,” Johnson said. “Having them be able to manage moments, deal with the nerves, expectations, that all improves with experience and time, so I'm excited for the group returning.

“I hope they got a taste of what that's like and look forward to it.”