Xavier boys light up the scoreboard against Independence

CEDAR RAPIDS - The No. 4 Xavier boys' soccer team set up shop in front of the Independence net last night during the boys Class 2A substate tournament, and for 80 minutes, that shop never closed.

Five second-half goals surged the Saints over Independence for a 7-0 win to pit them against Dubuque-Wahlert on Saturday. Despite posting just a 7-9 record over the regular season, Xavier's wins and losses can be misleading, as the squad is able to compete with the teams from a class above, and put away with ease squads from 2A or below.

'For us, playing in the Mississippi Valley Conference helps a lot,” Xavier head soccer coach Amir Hadzic said after the game. 'Every single game there is a grind, and every team is good. There are no easy games. Our record is very deceiving that way. When you come to games like this, it shows up - our speed, our strength.”

Mustang goalkeeper Blake Henderson was kept busy all night, as the quicker Xavier players were able to weave their way past the Independence defenses. The Saints amassed more than 25 shots against Independence, while Xavier netminder Nick Huss had a pretty easy day, seeing just two shots before getting relieved by Austin Havertape in the middle of the second half.

Caelen Lilly was the first to get Xavier on the board with a chip shot from 20 meters out that just sailed over Henderson's fingertips in the 10th minute.

Jerry Duball was the next to score, taking advantage of a Luke Koechner cross in the 20th minute. Despite Independence playing what seemed like the entire first frame with 11 defenders, Xavier was only able to muster two goals against the overmatched Mustangs.

Then Xavier adjusted.

Koechner caught Henderson out of position in the 44th minute with a strike from 30 meters out. Three minutes later, striker Chad Eichler danced around the Independence goalie and tapped it in to put Xavier up 4-0. The Saints spread out their scoring threats, and it worked.

'We tried to use our wings today, we were bunching a little in the first half, that's why we weren't as effective there as in the second,” Hadzic said. 'Once we opened our flanks and those crosses started pouring in, their defense couldn't keep up with that tempo.”

The closest Independence came to scoring was when Jon Halverson hit the Xavier crossbar in the 62nd minute - just about the only time the Saints defensemen were caught out of position all game.

Reserve winger Joseph Mulangaliro then took advantage of the next scoring opportunity for his squad, tapping one in on the ensuing possession after Independence hit the Xavier crossbar. The goal gave Lilly his second assist of the day to go along with his goal.

Freshman Connor Vogl and junior Nolan Armstrong rounded out the rest of the scoring on the day, netting balls in the 66th and 70th minutes, respectively.

The scoring was over, but Fireworks continued to fly when Independence Coach Garry Anderson was assessed a red card in the 74th minute for dissent. This being his team's last game of the season, Anderson will miss the first contest the Mustangs play in 2015.

What's most promising for the Xavier squad, according to its head coach, is the fact that two regular starters were held out of competition. Connor Ramlo leads the Saints with eight goals and 12 assists, and sat the game alongside center defender, Steve Jones, so the two could be fresh for a possible game on Saturday.

'They're a little banged up and we wanted to save them for Saturday if possible,” Hadzic said. Independence came ready to play, but our level of competition just worked in our favor.”

l Comments: ben.ross@thegazettecompany.com