Dale strikes early to help Xavier topple Prairie and get back to state (with photo gallery)

CEDAR RAPIDS - Annie Dale isn't an all-state soccer player just because she's got a lot of talent. She does, by the way, enough to play college soccer next year at Northern Iowa.

The Cedar Rapids Xavier senior also listens to instructions very well. Saints assistant Rocki Shepard told her to do something in their Class 2A regional final last night, and Dale did.

“I just remember Coach saying ‘You score in the first five minutes,'” Dale said after Xavier's 4-0 win over Cedar Rapids Prairie. “All right, so I've got to score in the first five minutes.”

It took her only two, actually. Her blast past keeper Anna Whetstone set an immediate tone and relaxed a Xavier team that is headed back to the state tournament in search of an unprecedented seventh consecutive state championship.

Xavier (15-2) draws Adel-DeSoto-Minburn (15-3) in a 2A quarterfinal at 2:35 Thursday afternoon at the Muscatine Soccer Complex.

“It's always a big advantage to get a goal quickly. For any team,” said Xavier Coach Doug Graham. “Congratulations to Prairie. They had a great season and did a great job. But, yeah, that first goal makes a big difference. It kind of puts the pressure back on them and a little bit off of us.”

Monica Busse added a first-half goal for Xavier. Kayla Armstrong scored twice in the final 10 minutes to match the final score in the regular-season opener between these clubs.

Prairie's best chance to score came in the second half when freshman Hannah Kousheh broke free but sent a shot just wide left of the goal. The Hawks, who graduate only three seniors, retired 13-6.

“We knew that we had to come out strong,” Dale said. “To get a goal from anyone in the first five minutes really helped calm everyone down, so they'd be able to play with poise.”

“I don't think that was a huge factor,” Prairie Coach Cara Solness said. “We played hard after that. We didn't hang our heads.”

If Xavier wins it all again, it will set a record for most consecutive girls' championships regardless of sport. This is the 10th straight appearance at the state soccer tourney for the Saints, and they've been in the title game seven years in a row.

You'd think getting to Muscatine would seem like no big deal, but this group celebrated after the final seconds wore off the clock. Dale draped herself in the state tournament qualifier banner.

“We knew coming out that it was going to be a hard game,” she said. “We knew how bad Prairie wanted it. But we wanted it just as much, if not more ... It feels great to have (this) good accomplishment.”