Iowa City High girls take 3A soccer regional semifinal

IOWA CITY — A 2-0 halftime lead over the Cedar Rapids Prairie girls soccer team was not quite comfortable for Iowa City High.

However, a 3-0 lead — the Little Hawks' third goal coming in the 59th minute from Madison Depringer on a one-on-one chance — was enough to put the Little Hawks in their comfort zone and allowed them to close out a 3-0 Class 3A regional semifinal win.

'When the third goal happened, it's tough on a team that's been working so hard to get back into the game,' said City High head coach Michael Prunty. 'When that happened I think it kind of let us breathe a little bit.'

The Hawks, to their credit, were not deterred by the halftime deficit. And as Prunty pointed out, Prairie forced its numbers on multiple occasions.

City High maintained its composure, however, and secured a trip to the regional final against Cedar Rapids Kennedy, the No. 1 team in Class 3A. The Little Hawks have time to prepare for the Cougars, who prevailed, 1-0, the first time the two teams met.

Senior midfielder Ashely Smith curled a free kick from the left of the box inside the front post to open the scoring in the 16th minute. She said she was set up to give the other Little Hawks a chance to head the ball in, but adjusted to the Prairie defenders' positions.

Prunty said the wind may have aided the shot, while Smith said she was shocked the ball curled in the first place.

'I just kind of went for the front post. It just went in,' she said. 'I was 100 percent surprised. I wasn't really aiming for that at all.'

Samantha Schroder found the back of the net on a cross as she cut backside for City's second goal.

In warmups, the Little Hawks do a drill that simulates the situation Schroder was in. One player dribbles down and puts the ball at the feet of a trailing player, who only needs to put the ball in the net.

'It worked exactly how we practiced it,' Schroder said. 'It was picture perfect.'